Tennessee Entrepreneurs Enjoy Abundant Resources
Published Apr 07, 2005
Katy Seals, owner of Graphic Press in Nashville, used the state’s Business Enterprise Resource Office to find a new business partner. To date, BERO has assisted more than 600 businesses.
As a former entrepreneur himself, Gov. Phil Bredesen recognizes the importance of small businesses and the challenges they face to be competitive in today’s marketplace.
And it was this knowledge that led Bredesen to develop a way for the state to extend a helping hand to those businesses. Working with Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matthew Kisber and General Services Commissioner Gwendolyn Sims Davis, the governor helped create two new state offices: the Business Enterprise Resource Office and the Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise.
“Both offices work together to support entrepreneurs by cutting through red tape and putting all the pieces together to help a business get up and running,” says Rick Meredith, ECD’s assistant commissioner for business services.
Entrepreneurs across Tennessee have benefited by working with BERO & GoDBE. Just ask Ashley Nye Lampkins, owner of Ironic, a gift shop in Knoxville. Lampkins received early assistance in formulating a business plan and securing a loan. Within a few weeks, she says, her gift/pottery store was open and experiencing sales above original projections.
“They were there every step of the way to answer any questions or offer further assistance,” Lampkins says of the services she received from the state. “In addition, they did great follow-up and even visited my store a few months later to make sure everything was going okay. I would most definitely recommend them to others.”
This brand of success is not an isolated event. Bob’s Janitorial Services, in Jackson, received technical assistance that resulted in securing contracts worth $156,000. In Nashville, Graphic Press turned to BERO when it needed to find buyers for its services. The company was quickly connected with a printing specialist looking for an opportunity to start a new business – and a new partnership was formed.
BERO has assisted more than 600 businesses with technical, financial and management information, while connecting each business with possible procurement opportunities. BERO’s staff facilitates business-to-business matching, maintains a business resource directory with financial information, and coordinates with federal and local government agencies, trade associations and community organizations.
GoDBE ensures that small, minority, and women-owned businesses are afforded a fair and equal opportunity to participate in state procurement activities and contract awards. Each business is interviewed to assess ability, readiness and willingness to participate in the state’s procurement process. Interested businesses are registered and then informed about eligibility for new state contracts and bids seeking goods or services.
Story by John E. Evans
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