Local News
Chamber to host business loan class
By Patrick McCrelessLocal residents searching for ways to fund a small business of their own need look no further than the Cullman County Area Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber will host its first small business loan workshop from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday Sept. 4. at its main office, located at 301 2nd Avenue SW. The workshop, which will be one of many such workshops scheduled throughout the year and free to men and women, will be sponsored by the Women’s Business Center of North Alabama (WBCNA).
“We are excited to kick off this complementary program and hope that anyone interested in becoming an entrepreneur will join us for these events,” said Jessica Waldrop, manager of business workforce and development at the chamber. “We’re not doing this to push people to join the chamber. It’s kind of like counseling and seminars to help people thinking about opening a business.”
Waldrop said WBCNA grant money would fund the workshops.
“They (WBCNA) decided they were going to give three more counties a grant for this counseling this year and they chose Cullman as one of those counties,” Waldrop said.
According to a WBCNA press release, small business owners often have difficulty accessing capital from traditional lending markets. To assist these small businesses, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) the Community Development Loan Program to bring SBA financing to areas where commercial loans have been difficult to get.
At the workshop, residents will learn how small business owners and those working to open a business can receive 10-year loans up to $50,000 with no collateral and minimal paperwork. Loan proceeds can be used for purchasing inventory, machinery, equipment, land, buildings and working capital.
Loan applications and assistance with completing the forms will be provided.
“We will have the materials available and walk people through the paperwork process,” Waldrop said.
Waldrop noted that after each workshop, residents can make reservations for one-on-one counseling for further help.
In addition to the main workshops, Waldrop said the chamber would host special small business luncheons beginning Sept. 18.
“We’ll have business people in the Cullman area speak on different topics and lunch will be provided,” she said.
For more information on the workshops, call the chamber of commerce at 734-0454. To make a reservation for one-on-one counseling, call Michelda Johnson at 1-866-990-0906.
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