Home » 81 Eastern Kentucky businesses participated in Preparing for Opportunity training series

81 Eastern Kentucky businesses participated in Preparing for Opportunity training series

Prepares small businesses for new federal prison

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 18, 2016) — Eighty-one Eastern Kentucky businesses participated in the Preparing for Opportunity training series, presented by the Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) in partnership with the Letcher County Fiscal Court.

The series was developed to help prepare the region’s small businesses for the numerous prospects the proposed construction of a federal prison in Roxana will bring. Instruction was held at the Whitesburg campus of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College and broadcast to the college’s Middlesboro campus.

“Many of the small businesses in this region wouldn’t have known there are so many agencies with services available to help them without these workshops,” said Jim Ward, Letcher County judge-executive. “From the Kentucky Small Business Development Center to the U.S. Small Business Administration, just learning about their services is a huge boost for our area.”

KSBDC, part of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is a network of 13 offices located throughout the state. The center helps existing and startup businesses succeed by offering high quality, in-depth and hands-on services. KSBDC is a partner program with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Series partners include: Kentucky Small Business Development Centers at Pikeville and Ashland, Southeast Small Business Development Center, Small Business Administration, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, Kentucky Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, Kentucky Innovation Network – Pikeville, Kentucky River Area Development District, Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises Inc., and Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet – Minority and Women Business Enterprise Certification.