One of the newest organizations providing such support in the area is the Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC)at 1800 State Street, Harrisburg, which just completed its first year in operation and saw six of its 150 clients open new businesses in that time.

Valerie Grigg, center director, says that most people who come to them aren’t sure what type of business they want to open or even if they are suited to run their own business.

“Part of our initial interview is to see where they are in the whole process,” she says. “Then, if they’re not familiar with the business planning process, we might suggest that they take a class here at the center or through one of the other agencies that also offers classes.”

Initially funded by the Capital Region Economic Development Corporation, the center now also has a partnership with Harrisburg Area Community College. A grant through the college’s foundation allows HACC staff with a variety of backgrounds to consult with center clients one–on–one. Assistance can cover preparation of a business plan; licensing, legal structure, and regulatory issues; locating business financing; business management strategies; financial and accounting practices; and market research and marketing techniques.

The center also provides clients with computer access to business software; use of copier, faxing, and color printing services at reasonable cost; access to classroom and conference room; funding source referrals; and mentoring with established members of the business community.

There are no charges to clients for individualized counseling and resources available at the center; fees are charged for training programs and use of copiers to cover the center’s costs. In addition to major funding through CREDC and HACC, the center has received funds from Ben Franklin Technologies and other private corporations.

The center is not a business incubator, a facility that provides space in which an entrepreneur can physically launch a new business. But it will work with people to find the space and funding they need. One particularly useful funding source the center is able to access is the Capital Region Lending Coalition.

Grigg says that each of the area organizations helping those wanting to start their own business has a slightly different approach and “flavor,” and such variety is helpful to the clients.

“They’re great to work with” says Lois Glass, Steelton, who operates a day care center in her home and is developing a business plan to obtain an off-site location. “I’ve referred at least two other people there because they go out of their way to help.”

Glass said she was meeting with a HACC professor on Saturdays to develop her business plan. “She’d tell me what the next steps were and then we’d follow up the next time we met.” While Glass is not yet ready to seek financing for her new facility, she says the EDC staff have said they’ll review her business plan when it is completed, help her make it as good as possible, and help her find financial institutions that will consider it. She’s confident she’ll get a fair hearing as a result of the plan she’s developed with the EDC.

For Timothy Lyter, owner of VisionWorks Video Production, a new video production company, the EDC staff “was incredible. They walked me through the whole business plan and all the resources I needed for it. They also showed me avenues where I could get funding.”

Lyter, who produced a video on the EDC, reports that he has obtained a start-up loan for VisionWorks and is planning to expand into additional areas from his current emphasis on weddings.

“I think people see us as accessible and user-friendly,” Grigg says. “We’ll work with people who walk in off the street without an appointment. We’re located in an area that might be more accessible for some people, although we also get people coming in from outside our three-county service area because someone told them they’d be comfortable working with us. We’re also open all day during the week and will arrange Saturday hours on request.”

“I don’t worry about stepping on anyone else’s toes. I’m willing to cooperate with anyone and hope they would do the same. We have a good relationship with Kutztown University’s Small Business Development Center at the University Center and if SCORE wanted to hold classes here, send counselors here, or do anything else with us they’d be more than welcome.”