SBDC Offers Business Start-Up Training with City

The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is teaming up with the City of Scranton to hold First Step: Scranton, a training event for individuals who are interested in starting a business in the City of Scranton. The training will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m.

The City of Scranton Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD) will provide information about their mission and an overview of the programs they have to offer for small businesses. The SBDC will talk about their programs and services, and will also present information about applications and licenses needed to start a business, different types of business structure, business plan development, and what to expect in financing. Emphasis on the licenses and registrations in the City of Scranton will be shared. 

“At the start of a New Year, many people resolve to finally start the business they’ve been dreaming of,” said Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton SBDC. “We are teaming up with the City of Scranton to offer the direction and guidance people need to make those dreams a reality and add more small businesses to the city.”

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the SBDC to help prospective business owners launch a business in the city,” said Eileen Cipriani, executive director of the OECD. “Our goal is to provide the resources and guidance needed to streamline the start-up process. To meet that goal, Mayor Cognetti has combined Licensing, Inspections and Permits with City Planning and the Office of Economic and Community Development to place all the departments under one umbrella, the new Office of Community Development.”

Advance registration is required and can be made by visiting www.scrantonsbdc.com and viewing Upcoming Classes. For more information, contact The University of Scranton SBDC at sbdc@scranton.edu or 570-941-7588. 

Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.

SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses.

The Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD), a self-sufficient department, acts as the grants administration arm of the City of Scranton. OECD identifies grant programs that could provide sources of support for a variety of community and economic development initiatives and aggressively pursue these funds. Employees are responsible for administering these grants, taking care to allocate funds to activities that best address important community and economic development needs and ensuring compliance with their regulations.