- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/arkansas-human-development-corporation/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:15:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 ASBTDC Launches Arkansas Business Navigator Project to Help Entrepreneurs from Underrepresented and Underserved Communities /news-archive/2022/09/06/arkansas-business-navigator/ Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:15:56 +0000 /news/?p=82096 ... ASBTDC Launches Arkansas Business Navigator Project to Help Entrepreneurs from Underrepresented and Underserved Communities]]> The helps small businesses address and overcome some of the systemic challenges that face entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities. ASBTDC expects to provide training and technical assistance to more than 5,000 new and existing small businesses owners during the two-year project. This support includes access to capital, business development, contracting and procurement, marketing, operations, and exporting. Led by Associate State Director Michael Singleton, the Arkansas Business Navigator team also includes Diego Morales Ibarra, project manager; Angela Gardner, Tania Martinez Chavez, and Adriana Fuentes Archila, navigator specialists; Harrison Hudson, market researcher and content specialist; and Javier Hernandez, navigator eFellow. 鈥淭he goal of the Arkansas Business Navigator Project is to ensure that entrepreneurs from underrepresented and underserved communities have full access to broad services to help them start or grow their own businesses,鈥 Singleton said. 鈥淲ith this program, we are democratizing entrepreneurship by giving the people the tools and resources to take control of their own futures.鈥 Under the community navigator approach, trusted community partners act as 鈥渟pokes鈥 who will reach into specific sectors of the state鈥檚 entrepreneurial community. ASBTDC will provide centralized support and structure for all the spokes, develop and share tools for the spokes, and provide market research and specialized expertise for businesses. The spokes include the Arkansas Human Development Corporation, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, Central Arkansas Library System, East Arkansas Enterprise Community, Phoenix Youth and Family Services, and University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. One of the critical goals of the project is to increase the capacity to serve Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs in the state. ASBTDC has partnered with Martinez Agency, a creative and branding agency in Rogers, to create a marketing accelerator program for Spanish-speaking business owners. 鈥淥ur goal by the end of the project is to develop, communicate, and create a situation where Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs have access to all the resources and tools they need to start a business,鈥 Singleton said. About 35 Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs are participating in the accelerator program. They are learning about topics such as the importance of having a business website, how to sell products on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and how to use digital tools to reach their customers. 鈥淲e wanted to create this marketing program because we knew it will help to support the Latino community and Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs and business owners,鈥 Morales Ibarra said. 鈥淚 like to be in direct contact with small business owners about what we can do to cover their needs. We want to help entrepreneurs cover all the ground they need to be successful.鈥 The Navigator team is working with the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and Conexi贸n de Negocios Latinos to provide 15 workshop and training events for Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs across the state. A calendar of events is . The Arkansas Business Navigator Project is also recruiting students for paid positions in its . The opportunity is open to juniors, seniors, and postgraduate students with at least a 3.0 GPA from any higher education institution within the University of Arkansas System. Bilingual and multilingual students are especially encouraged to apply . They will work with expert business consultants as they advise and develop entrepreneurs from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities including women, minority, Spanish-speaking, rural, veteran, LGBTQ+, and disabled entrepreneurs. The eFellows assess the needs of small business owners and match them with resources in the Arkansas Business Navigator network as well as assist with training programs and outreach efforts. The project is funded by a ASBTDC received through the U.S. Small Business Administration鈥檚 . Part of the鈥疉merican Rescue Plan鈥痠nitiative, the program is designed to reduce barriers that all small businesses, including those from underrepresented and underserved groups, often face in accessing critical support. ASBTDC is one of 51 organizations that will receive a combined total of $100 million in funding through the Community Navigator Pilot Program. The organizations will work with hundreds of local groups to connect America鈥檚 entrepreneurs to government resources so they can recover and thrive. Cossatot Community College in De Queen is also a member of the Community Navigator Pilot Program.]]> U.S. Small Business Administration Awards ASBTDC $2.5 Million Grant for Community Navigator Pilot Program /news-archive/2021/10/28/asbtdc-community-navigator-program/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 20:23:06 +0000 /news/?p=80286 ... U.S. Small Business Administration Awards ASBTDC $2.5 Million Grant for Community Navigator Pilot Program]]> The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) awarded the competitive funding under the Community Navigator Pilot Program administered by the SBA鈥檚 Office of Entrepreneurship Education. Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced recipients Oct. 28. 鈥淭he Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center is pleased to be one of the programs selected to participate in SBA鈥檚 Community Navigator Pilot Program,鈥 said Michael Singleton, associate state director of ASBTDC and principal investigator for the project. 鈥淲e know that not all groups and individuals have had the resources and capital needed to start or grow their businesses. We are excited about the opportunity to utilize this program to ensure all Arkansas entrepreneurs and small business owners have the tools and resources to succeed.鈥 The , part of the鈥疉merican Rescue Plan鈥痠nitiative, is鈥痙esigned to reduce barriers that all small businesses, including those from underrepresented and underserved groups, often face in accessing critical support. 鈥淭he Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized building our small business ecosystems back better so that all of our entrepreneurs have a fair shot at achieving the American dream of business ownership,鈥 said Guzman. 鈥淲e need to meet businesses where they are with resources to start, grow and be resilient, and the Community Navigator Pilot Program will power a trusted network of community partners to connect America鈥檚 entrepreneurs with the SBA. The program鈥檚 Community Navigators will develop strong relationships with deeply trusted community-based organizations that will tap into one-on-one, targeted support from programs designed to help them create jobs and drive innovation.鈥 Under the community navigator approach, trusted community partners act as 鈥渟pokes.鈥 Each spoke will reach into specific sectors of the state鈥檚 entrepreneurial community. As the 鈥渉ub,鈥 ASBTDC will provide centralized support and structure for the spokes.
Michael Singleton

Michael Singleton

Arkansas Community Navigator spokes include:
  • Arkansas Human Development Corporation
  • Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce
  • Central Arkansas Library System
  • East Arkansas Enterprise Community
  • Phoenix Youth and Family Services
  • University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service
ASBTDC will also develop and share tools for the spokes and provide market research and specialized expertise for businesses. The Arkansas Community Navigator project seeks to assist businesses with access to capital, business development, contracting and procurement, marketing, operations, and exporting. This project will allow ASBTDC and partners to help small businesses address and overcome some of the systemic challenges that face entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities. 鈥淭hese organizations will meet nascent and existing entrepreneurs at any level, provide a clear path toward achieving their small business goals, and equip them with knowledge, tools, and access,鈥 said Singleton. By leveraging and empowering existing community-engaged and culturally knowledgeable organizations and programs, the Navigator project will provide the platform for equipping small businesses and entrepreneurs in minority, rural, and other underserved communities across the state. 鈥淲e want all Arkansas small businesses to have access to relevant, comprehensive, wrap-around services needed for persisting through the COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath,鈥 Singleton said. Earlier SBA pandemic relief programs for small businesses included the Paycheck Protection Program and COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Arkansas has nearly 250,000 small businesses, and less than a quarter of them received PPP funding in 2020. An analysis of the PPP and EIDL funds distributed in 2020 found that not all communities benefited equally from the programs. This disparity was underscored by the recent studies conducted by the and Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. ASBTDC is one of 51 organizations that will receive a combined total of $100 million in funding through the Community Navigator Pilot Program. The organizations will work with hundreds of local groups to connect America鈥檚 entrepreneurs to government resources so they can recover and thrive. 鈥淭he Arkansas Human Development Corporation has partnered with the ASBTDC on numerous endeavors since the mid 1980s, and we are honored to be a part of the Community Navigator initiative that will expand the menu of high-quality business and technical assistance services to rural communities and isolated populations,鈥 said Clevon Young, AHDC executive director. ASBTDC expects to provide training and technical assistance to more than 5,000 new and existing small business owners during the two-year project.]]>