BUSINESS ADVICE AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

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|  AR-TEX Council of Governments  |  Deep East Texas Council of Governments  |

|  East Texas Council of Governments  |  The Coordinating & Development Corporation  |  Chambers of Commerce  | 

|  Sabine River Authority of Texas  |  Business Incubators  |  Small Business Development Centers  |

|  Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)  |  Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center  |

|  Office of the Governor Economic Development and Tourism   |  Small Business Administration  |

|  U.S. Department of Commerce  | CDC Resource Guides Home  |  CDCOnline Home  |

AR-TEX Council of Governments

ATCOG is an intergovernmental agency for Bowie and Cass Counties that provides regional planning and business assistance for the area; includes loan programs as well as demographic and transportation information. Contact: (903) 832-8636, www.atcog.org

Deep East Texas Council of Governments

DETCOG is an intergovernmental agency serving Shelby, Sabine, and San Augustine Counties that provides regional planning and business assistance for the area, including research, management reviews and other services for local governments, nonprofit organizations and private businesses on a fee-for-services basis. Contact: (409) 384-5704, www.detcog.org

East Texas Council of Governments

ETCOG is an intergovernmental agency for East Texas Counties including Harrison, Marion, and Panola that provides regional planning and business assistance for the area; includes loan programs as well as demographic and transportation information. Contact: (903) 984-8641, www.etcog.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, workforce 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

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Chambers of Commerce

Your  local chamber of commerce pro­vides a wide range of information, services, and programs­ for businesses. 

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Sabine River Authority of Texas

The Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRA) is committed to assist counties, cities and current economic development groups throughout the Basin in their  economic development initiatives to: strengthen the economic vitality of the Sabine River basin, educate citizens on water related issues, and market the waterways for recreational and tourism activities.  Contact: (409) 746-2192, www.sra.dst.tx.us

Business Incubators

Marshall Business Development Center – The Center offers low cost and provides a variety of business-related services to start-up and small businesses, (903) 935-0092, http://www.marshalledc.org/community_profile.php?preSel=33

Tyler Area Business Incubator – Tyler Junior College Regional Training and Development Complex, A consortium including Tyler Junior College, TJC's Regional Training and Development Complex, the City of Tyler and the Tyler Economic Development Council joined together to create of unique Business Incubator for biotechnology, medical and surgical technology, and other high-tech innovations, with the creation of the Tyler Area Business Incubator. (903) 510-2982, http://www2.tjc.edu/busincubator/

Small Business Development Centers

The SBDCs provides specialized management and technical needs for the small business community, and also provides counseling, serves as an informational resource center, and coordinates and conducts continuing education programs.

Bowie and Cass Counties:

Texas A&M University SBDC, Texarkana, (903) 223-1370

Harrison, Marion, and Panola Counties: 

Kilgore College Small Business Development Center, (903) 757-5857 

Sabine, San Augustine, and Shelby Counties:

Tyler Small Business Development Center, located at the Tyler Junior College Regional Training and Development Complex, (903) 510-2975

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Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)

Score is an SBA-sponsored program that offers advice, counseling ,and management training for owners and would-be owners of small businesses. East Texas SCORE, (903) 510-2975

Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center

TMAC provides a comprehensive source of business, management, and technical assistance to area manufacturers.  TMAC 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: TMAC Statewide, Texas Engineering Extension Service, (800) 625-4876

Office of the Governer Economic Development and Tourism

The mission of this office is to develop and diversify the state's economy to enhance the quality of life for current and future Texans.  It offers a variety of information regarding financing, tax incentives, international development, and workforce development programs to assist Texas businesses. www.governor.state.tx.us/ecodev/

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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;

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/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/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/services/contractingopportunities/contracting/index.html

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 training 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