Mayor Taveras, US SBA Launch Landmark Partnership to Grow Jobs and Businesses

They made the announcement at a 40-year-old Providence manufacturing company, Contract Specialties, with the SBA's two partner agencies the Rhode Island Small Business Development Corporation (RISBDC) and Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE), and before a group of state and local officials and plant employees.

The two year agreement will offer free, bi-monthly workshops and follow-on support to area businesses and was authorized by Mayor Taveras and the U.S. SBA to leverage their respective programs for small business.

"During these challenging times, we have made tough, necessary choices to strengthen our city's fiscal ground and position Providence for the future. This partnership will help us foster an economic climate that will grow jobs and help put the capital city on a path for progress," said Mayor Angel Taveras. "Small businesses are the big business in Providence. We must do all that we can to help small business owners compete and thrive in the marketplace. I am excited to begin this partnership and am confident that our small business community will be equipped with the support they need to thrive in the New Economy."

"The SBA is pleased to develop the federal-city partnership to serve the small business community in Providence," said Mark S. Hayward, director of the SBA Rhode Island District Office. "I thank Mayor Tavares and our resource partners for their demonstrated commitment to small business through these planned outreach activities."

The free workshops will be hosted in neighborhoods throughout the city, and all businesses are invited to come. The first workshop will be held on Monday, May 21, from 4 pm - 6 pm, at Casey Family Services, at 1268 Eddy Street.

Workshops will target small businesses and women- and minority-owned businesses and include experts from the City, SBA, RISBDC and CWE. The City and the SBA will also forge partnerships with other state and non-profit business agencies. Workshops will cover a variety of topics, including: how to access low-interest loans; federally guaranteed bank loans; technical assistance such as site location, building a business plan and accessing technology to grow your company. It will also cover steps to becoming HUB Zone certified (Historically Underutilized Business Zones,) how to do business with government; exploring export trade opportunities; business continuity planning - preparing for disaster before it strikes, and technical and financial aid to the creative economy.

"This formal partnership is critical to the success and sustainability of local businesses in the City of Providence. Our coordinated effort will allow the city to tap into an existing network of successful SBA resource partners dedicated to this mission and thereby ensuring expert, quality, and timely delivery of services to its diverse business community," said Adriana Dawson, Interim Director of the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center. "The RI Small Business Development Center at Johnson & Wales University is proud to be a part of this collaboration and looks forward to assisting Mayor Taveras create a healthier business environment for new and existing entrepreneurs. I commend Mayor Taveras for recognizing the impact the small business community has on the city's economic future."

"The Center for Women & Enterprise is delighted to be a partner in helping create and grow businesses in Providence. Access to entrepreneurship training is critical to helping business owners be successful, increase their revenues, and create jobs. We look forward to creating new economic opportunities for the citizens of Providence in the months to come," said Carmen Diaz-Jusino, Program Manager, Rhode Island Center for Women & Enterprise.

At the workshops, attendees will meet representatives of city, state and federal agencies, learn how to develop specific strategies to prevent loss and grow their bottom line, and arrange for follow-on assistance with the local experts.

The schedule for the subsequent workshops will be publicly posted on the following websites: www.providenceri.com, www.sba.gov/ri, www.risbdc.org and www.cweonline.org. They will begin this month and run every other month through December 2013.

The company that hosted today's event , Contract Specialties Inc. d/b/a Sunburst Companies, (www.sunburstcompanies.com) was founded by Evelyn Guarino 40 years ago. She runs the company with her husband, Michael, and their daughters and sons-in-law. They produce only Made in America products - jewelry, souvenirs, gifts, name programs, customs and sterling - in their line of 6,000+ pieces, sold in National Parks and Memorials, Disney Corporation and the US Capitol Building.

The company survived a major fire, the shift of manufacturing to the Pacific Rim and the recent economic recession. They are recipients of an SBA-backed loan.