Jun. 2, 2010 - Local Agencies collaborate to Support Business
Local Agencies collaborate to Support Business
For Immediate Release
For more information
Contact Travis Alden at 398-3262.
Manistee, Michigan. Volunteer members from the Manistee Michigan Main Street Program, Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance for Economic Success, and Downtown Development Authority, as well as local professionals from banking, real estate and accounting, pool local business knowledge and resources for easy access to downtown businesses.
As part of the Michigan Main Street program, the Manistee DDA Economic Restructuring Committee is offering to business owners within the Downtown Development Authority District of the City of Manistee confidential access to business experts and business resources at no cost.
Downtown Manistee’s Main Street’s Business Assistance Team is comprised of volunteer members all of whom are experienced in their respective fields are collaborating to produce ideas to help businesses move forward and prosper. Members of the team can help evaluate a new product or service, discuss strategies for improving your building, or merchandising or simply help businesses past a sticking point. Either way, a fresh set of eyes is always beneficial and best of all, it is absolutely confidential and there is no cost.
The Manistee Main Street Director, Travis Alden is the point of contact for downtown business owners to access confidential advice from this local team of experts and collaborative agencies. Alden will collect basic, confidential information and pull together a couple of experts best suited to give the information requested. It’s driven by the business owner. They choose the meeting location, confidentiality forms are signed and services and resources are provided. Economic Restructuring consultant with the National Trust Main Street Center, Hilary Greenberg, commented on the program saying “this is a great service to business; oftentimes businesses hit natural points of struggle. With the Manistee Main Streets’ Business Assistance Team, folks can speak with local professionals who are familiar with the challenges facing Northern Michigan communities and identify creative solutions to their current issue.”
Downtown and county-wide businesses have many resources to assist them in their start-up phase or as they grow or restructure their business based on varying market demand. Whether it is through Main Streets’ Business Assistance Team, Manistee S.C.O.R.E., or Small Business & Technology Development Center, residents of Manistee County can access these confidential business assistance services free of charge.
“We wanted to ensure a collaborative approach,” Alden says, the mission of the Main Street’s Business Assistance Team that was a launched project of the Economic Restructuring Committee is; “Using a dedicated pool of business experts, the team assists downtown businesses with general consulting, education, business resource connections, as well as business start up, retention, expansion and succession planning to promote economic growth and support networks for sustainable downtown business prosperity, thereby enhancing the business climate of the whole community.”
To access business assistance information call Travis Alden, Main Street/DDA Director at (231) 398-3262.