MONTGOMERY— Gov. Robert Bentley has announced a $75,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant that will help the University of Alabama assist budding entrepreneurs in 10 counties.
The university’s Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network will purchase equipment, books and software for its small-business assistance sites in Bibb, Chambers, Fayette, Hale, Lamar, Macon, Marion, Pickens, Tallapoosa and Winston counties. The sites are operated by local partners who receive training from AERN to support and advise business owners.
“Helping new small businesses get started in rural areas provides a boost to local economies and builds a stronger sense of community,” Bentley said. “This program is providing needed guidance for those who are trying to make their dreams of business ownership a reality.”
AERN is partnering with the University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences, Center for Business and Economic Research and Bruno Business Library to select and acquire the new resources.
The network’s local partners include the Haleyville Chamber of Commerce, Bibb County Chamber of Commerce, Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, Aliceville Public Library, the Collins Life Center in Marion County, Lamar County, the City of Fayette and the Chambers County Library. AERN is providing $75,000 in matching funds for the grant.
Congress established the ARC in 1965 as a supplemental grant program to raise the standard of living, improve the quality of life and promote economic development in the Appalachian mountain region, which includes 37 Alabama counties.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama along with a wide range of other programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
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Contact: Russell Sellers, Mike Presley