Union County

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Economic Development Corporations

These organizations assist in the growth and development of their communities through projects that contribute to the quality of life and improvements that promote new or expanded business enterprises.

Columbia County

Southwest Arkansas Planning & Development District

Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc. (SWAPDD) serves a twelve (12) county area in the southwest section of Arkansas.  Contact: (870) 234-4030, swapdd.dina.org

The Coordinating & Development Corporation

CDC is a private, nonprofit, economic development organization that provides a wide variety of services for the business community.  These services include: business investment and finance, employment and job training, business development and incubation, marketing, international trade development, and state tax incentives’ information and servicing.   Contact: (318) 632-2022, www.cdconline.org

Business Incubator

Business Incubators provide start-up and existing small businesses with business advice and support services; inexpensive space also available for lease.  Contact:  Metro/Regional Business Incubator, (318) 671-1050, www.cdconline.org/businessincubator.htm

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Small Business Development Center

The SBDC program, sponsored in part by the Small Business Administration, helps to identify the specialized management and technical needs of the small business community. SBDC provides counseling, serves as an informational resource center, and coordinates and conducts continuing education programs. Contact: Southern Arkansas University SBDC, (870) 235-5033,  

www.saumag.edu/organizations/SBDC/consulting.asp

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)

Score is a SBA-sponsored program that offers advice, counseling, and management training for owners and would-be owners of small businesses. Contact: South Central SCORE, (870) 863-6113, www.southcentralarkansas.scorechapter.org/

Arkansas Manufacturing Extension Network

This agency provides a comprehensive source of business, management, and technical assistance to area manufacturers.  It is an affiliate of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which provides federal funding for the program.  Contact: (501) 683-4400, www.mfgsolutions.org

Arkansas Department of Economic Development

The mission of the Arkansas Department of Economic Development is to develop and diversify the state's economy to enhance the quality of life for current and future Arkansans.  It offers a variety of financing, tax incentives, international development, and workforce development programs to assist Arkansas businesses.  Contact: 1-800 Arkansas or (501) 682-1121, www.1800arkansas.com 

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Small Business Administration – www.sba.gov

In addition to the SBA’s Internet Procurement Opportunities programs, (see Government Procurement Opportunities Section of this Resource Guide), SBA also offers other programs beneficial to small businesses, including:

SBA’S HUBZone Program – The purpose of the HUBZone program is to provide federal contracting assistance for qualified small business concerns located in historically underutilized business zones.  To be a qualified HUBZone small business concern, a company must be a small business, owned and controlled only by US citizens, have their main office located in a HUBZone, have at least 35% of the company's employees residing in a HUBZone (doesn't have to be the same HUBZone as the company's principal office), and be certified under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program.  www.sba.gov/hubzone.  To determine if your company is located in a HUBZone, log onto map.sba.gov/hubzone/init.asp#address

SBA’S 8(a) Business Development Program – The SBA's 8(a) BD Program, is a business development initiative that helps small disadvantaged business concerns compete in the American economy.  As part of the business development of the 8(a) firms, SBA helps small disadvantaged businesses access the Federal contracting marketplace.  Certification through the SBA 8 (a) program is required for participation in this program.  www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/8abd/

SBA’S Sub-Net Contracting Program – Prime contractors use SUB-Net to post subcontracting opportunities. These may or may not be reserved for small business, and they may include either solicitations or other notices of sources sought for teaming partners and subcontractors on future contracts. Small businesses can review this web site to identify opportunities in their areas of expertise.  http://web.sba.gov/subnet/search/index.cfm

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Online Entrepreneurial Training – The Small Business Training Network is a virtual campus housing free training courses, workshops and knowledge resources designed to assist entrepreneurs and other students of enterprise.  The Training Network makes SBA's business management resources available anytime and anywhere. It is a dynamic learning center designed to help small businesses compete in a constantly changing, global environment.  www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/index.html

Government Contracting/Business Development – The Office of Government Contracting (GC) works to create an environment for maximum participation by small, disadvantaged, and woman-owned businesses in federal government contract awards and large prime subcontract awards. GC advocates on behalf of small business in the federal procurement world. The Office of Business Development is designed to help minority and small disadvantaged businesses participate more fully and successfully in the mainstream National economy.  www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/gc/index.html

SBA Office of Advocacy – This office’s mission is to encourage policies that support the development and growth of American small businesses. Advocacy represents the nation's small businesses within the federal government; conducts policy studies; and compiles statistics on small business characteristics and contributions.  www.sba.gov/advo

Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO) – Promotes the growth of women-owned businesses through programs that address business training and technical assistance, and provide access to credit and capital, federal contracts, and international trade opportunities. www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/onlinewbc/index.html

Veteran’s Business Development – Designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business. The SBA has three organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC).

www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/ovbd/index.html

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U.S. Department of Commerce – www.commerce.gov

While the SBA is the primary federal agency that advises and assists small businesses, the U.S. Depart­ment of Commerce has a number of programs that provide information and/or services to U.S. businesses, including:

Bureau of Economic Analysis – BEA is the Nation's accountant, interpreting data to draw a complete picture of the U.S. economy. BEA's economic accounts provide information on economic growth, regional development, and the Nation's position in the world economy.  www.bea.gov/

Bureau of the Census – The Constitution commands that a census be taken every 10 years. The purpose is the apportionment of seats in Congress, but the information collected provides the cornerstone of knowledge about the people of our nation.  www.census.gov/

Minority Business Development Agency – This agency was created spe­cifically to encourage the growth of minority-­owned businesses in the United States.  It coordi­nates federal government plans, programs and operations that affect minority business enter­prises.  It promotes and coordinates the activities of government and private organizations that help minority businesses grow.  It collects and distributes information to help those interested in starting or expanding a minority-owned firm, and it provides financial assistance to organizations to provide management and technical assistance to minority entrepreneurs. www.mbda.gov/

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) – The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is an advocacy and advisory office responsible for promoting the use of small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), women-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and HUBZone small businesses within the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) acquisition process.  www.osec.doc.gov/osdbu/

Patent and Trademark Office – For over 200 years, the basic role of PTO has been to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for authors and inventors the exclusive right to their writings and discoveries for a limited time.  www.uspto.gov