SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
Grow Piqua Now works collaboratively with the City of Piqua to provide the necessary resources for our community’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Edison Community College located in Piqua, is one of forty-three Small Business Development Centers locatedi in the State of Ohio. Small Business Development Centers provide one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations. The program is a cooperative effort of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments and is an integral component of entrepreneurial development network of training and counseling services.
In addition to the Small Business Development Center at Edison Community College, Grow Piqua Now works closely with the Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce and Mainstreet Piqua to promote entrepreneurial and small business development in the City of Piqua. The City of Piqua's Development Department also assists in these efforts through with two revolving loan programs targeting small businesses:
The USDA Rapid Outreach Revolving Loan Fund Program is a revolving loan fund designed to help small businesses and entrepreneurs. The City of Piqua received a $90,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to capitalize an Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund. Loans, subject to fund availability, are avalable to any business located within the City of Piqua with fewer than fifty employees and less than $1 million in gross revenue.
Click here for a USDA Rapid Outreach Revolving Loan Fund Application Package
The Microenterprise Development Loan Program is a revolving loan designed to provide capital assistance and training to small business owners looking to expand. Loans, subject to availability, are designed for business owners that meet certain income requirements and have five or fewer employees. More information about the program and the income requirements can be found in the application package.
Click here for a Microenterprise Development Loan Program Application
Grow Piqua Now also works closely with other organizations and initatives within the region to assist small business and entrepreneurs.
SCORE is the premier source for small business advice and mentoring in the United States. Established in 1964, SCORE is a non-profit organization dedicated to entrepreneur education and teh formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. More than 13,000 volunteers at 350 chapters provide individual mentoring, in person and online, and business workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. SCORE is a resource partner with the United States Small Business Administration. Locally, Grow Piqua Now works with the Dayton SCORE office.
The Dayton Region Entrepreneurial Signature Program (ESP), a State of Ohio Third Frontier Program, has $22.5 million to assist start-ups, small entrepreneurial companies, and existing technology-based companies commercializing new technologies. Administered through the Dayton Development Coalition (DDC), the major focus of ESP is to build on the Dayton Region's world-class reputation for advanced materials R&D by attracting and growing companies in our "signature" area of composites, nanomaterials, and sensor applications. The Program may provide assistance and funding to companies with cross-cutting technologies to the "signature" area, such as information technology, advanced materials. ESP assists companies in their commericalization efforts by providing locans, equity investments, and developmental services, for strategy consultation during the go-to-market process.
Entrepreneurial educational opporunities and strategic planning assistance is available through the Dayton Development Coalition's Entrepreneurial Development Network (EDN) partners. Organizations and individuals that provide coaching and advice to entrepreneurs work together as a referral network to assist Dayton Region entrepreneurs find the most appropriate resoruce provider quickly and efficiently. The EDN hosts a box lunch seminar each month on a specific entrepreneurial education topic. The series of box lunch seminars provide focused, hand-on instruction by a panel of business experts to assist entrepreneurs start-up and grow in the Dayton Region. The box lumches also provide the entrepreneur the opportunity to network with EDN organizations and other entrepreneurs.