December 9, 2011
The City of Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA) and Long Beach City College (LBCC) will celebrate the opening of the LBCC Downtown Small Business Development Center at 10 am, Tuesday, December 13, at 309 Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach.
“The new Downtown Center will be an incredible opportunity for small business owners to connect with the great resources at Long Beach City College and our own city economic development programs and tax incentives,” said Mayor Bob Foster. “It’s a great move and I applaud LBCC for opening this center.”
The new Downtown Center, opening just north of 3rd and Pine, will offer small business owners with free training, business advising, access to capital, and advice from entrepreneurs and industry experts. In addition, the Downtown Center will host the LBCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Long Beach International Trade Office, and the 10,000 Small Business Goldman Sachs Program. The City of Long Beach will also use the center to promote its economic development programs to small businesses.
“Small Businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and we are committed to providing resources and access to capital for these emerging enterprises,” said LBCC President Eloy Ortiz Oakley. “Long Beach City College is invested in the future of economic development and our own local economy.”
The opening ceremony will include remarks from Mayor Bob Foster, President Eloy Ortiz Oakley, John Thomas, Chair of the Long Beach RDA, and a resource fair for small business owners.
The SBDC, a program of the Small Business Administration, has been hosted by Long Beach City College since 2006, and in that time has helped hundreds of area business owners increase their sales, obtain loans, streamline operations, utilize new technologies, expand into new markets, and position themselves for long-term growth.
One key objective of the (RDA) is to support the revitalization of commercial sites and to improve commercial corridors in the Downtown Redevelopment Project Area. To promote this objective, the RDA leased this once vacant property to Long Beach City College as a satellite for its regional Small Business Development Center program. SBDC’s presence on Pine Ave will help activate space in the Downtown and provide convenient services to area businesses.
About the Long Beach City College SBDC
The SBDC hosted by Long Beach City College serves the Greater Long Beach area, including most of the Gateway Cities. Our experienced entrepreneurs provide workshops and one-on-one advising to fellow business owners at little or no cost. As your management advisors, we advise in areas such as finance, marketing, international trade, operations, social media, emerging technology and more.
About Long Beach Redevelopment Agency
Since 1961, the mission of the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA) has been to enhance the quality of life by improving blighted areas of Long Beach, revitalizing neighborhoods, promoting economic development, creating jobs, providing affordable housing and encouraging citizen participation. The RDA partners with business and the community to revitalize our project areas. It is because of our partnerships with our citizen-led Project Area Committees, and small and large businesses working together that the Long Beach RDA is one of the leading Redevelopment Agencies in the state.
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