SALEM — The city of Salem is teaming up with the Enterprise Center at Salem State University to help small businesses navigate the struggles brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Small Business Technical Assistance Services Program (SBTAS) was set up to provide eligible small businesses in Salem with expert consulting services over a three-month period at no cost to the business and is now taking applications, Mayor Kim Driscoll announced last week.
Services provided during the program include accounting and financial planning, business consulting, legal services, marketing and branding, COVID-19 relief program navigation for Federal and State assistance programs like PPP loans and CARES Act, technology involving working remotely and online sales, and workforce management and human resources.
Salem small businesses that apply will be connected with a consultant who meets their needs by the Enterprise Center staff and can receive up to 20 hours of consultation over a three-month period.
The program is funded by the city of Salem and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through a Salem Together Assistance & Recovery Toolkit (START) grant, provided by the city. START grants were awarded to agencies and organizations providing direct assistance or support to families, workers and seniors suffering due to the pandemic.
The SBTAS program will be run on a first-come, first-serve basis until grant funds are depleted.
“While we are working hard to help our local employers recover and reopen safely, our business community is still struggling to get a footing during this economic crisis,” said Mayor Driscoll in a statement released by the city of Salem. “This program, which will allow local small businesses to partner with the Enterprise Center on technical guidance and assistance, will connect our businesses with expert advice to help them recover and begin to thrive again.
“I’m grateful to the team at the Enterprise Center for quickly putting together this program and to the City’s economic development staff who made the funding support possible for it to happen.”
Participating businesses will also be invited to partake in a six-month membership in an Enterprise Center CEO Group after the program. Each CEO group is a confidential and professionally-facilitated peer-advisory group that meets once a month for three hours. Business owners come together to discuss their challenges on an ongoing basis while receiving feedback from other participating businesses to help identify solutions for their businesses’ obstacles.
“Now more than ever the Enterprise Center remains committed to supporting the needs of our small-business community as they navigate this unprecedented crisis,” Laura Swanson, executive director of the Enterprise Center, said in a statement.
Salem businesses that are interested in the SBTAS Program can apply through the Enterprise Center’s website at www.enterprisectr.org.
