Colorado Certified Small Business Community Winners Announced


DENVER – Wed., Oct. 11, 2017 – Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, the Colorado Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) and local economic development professionals from around the state gathered at Limon Town Hall to announce the four winners of the Certified Small Business Community initiative (CSBC). This Blueprint 2.0 program assists rural communities who want to expand their entrepreneurship promotion and retention and be a standard bearer for the State of Colorado and is funded by the Economic Development Commission’s Strategic Fund.

“The Certified Small Business Community award is a great example of how Colorado is going above and beyond existing resources to support the needs of our rural regions,” said Lt Gov. Donna Lynne. “We congratulate today’s recipients and look forward to seeing how these regions leverage the new services and resources to help strengthen their economies and communities.”

Winners of the CSBC initiative will be featured on a dedicated SBDC website developed for certified communities and will be able to install highway signage declaring their CSBC status.  They will receive both technical assistance and cash to assist with the completion of an action plan item.

Recipients of the Certified Small Business Community Designation and the amount of their awards are:  Lincoln County, Prowers County, Rio Blanco County and the city of Fruita.  The awards will be used for a variety of purposes including increased SBDC services, growing and retaining businesses, economic diversification, and co-working spaces.

“With the Certified Small Business Community designation, the winners will have proof that their community is a great place to ‘Work, Live and Play’ in Colorado,” said Kelly Manning, Colorado SBDC Director. “By participating in this initiative, communities will also have developed a strategic growth plan to diversify the local economy with entrepreneurs, so it’s more than just a title.”

The winners must have demonstrated a defined sense of place that sets them apart, have a concentration of entrepreneurship, a high level of community engagement and support of small business, and the ability to execute the plan. The winners can include a single town or city, several towns or communities working together or a county.

Questions about the program or application process should be directed to Christine Hoffman, CSBC Program Manager at(720)391-8865 or christine. hoffman@state.co.us.

About Colorado Small Business Development Center Network
The SBDC provides no-cost, confidential business advising services to small business owners and entrepreneurs in every stage of business development and growth in the State of Colorado. SBDC business advisors are prepared to assist with a range of business issues including investigating capital opportunities and loan preparation, international trade, growth strategies, market research, marketing plans, disaster preparedness and more. SBDC is a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

SBDC is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the state of Colorado and local organizations that support our small business community. SBDC is a member of America’s SBDC, celebrating over 35 years of providing proven technical assistance to small businesses in 1000 centers nationwide.

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