Worth County designated Georgias newest Entrepreneur Friendly community

ATLANTA, May 17, 2007 – Worth County is the most recent Georgia county to be certified 'Entrepreneur Friendly' by the state. The designation means that this Southwest Georgia community is strategically building its environment to support small businesses and entrepreneurs. Ninety-four percent of Worth County's 430 companies are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees. 'Homegrown businesses and entrepreneurs create quality jobs that are integral to ensuring prosperity and opportunity throughout Georgia,' said Governor Sonny Perdue. 'By encouraging and supporting small businesses, we are investing in a stronger future for local communities and the state as a whole.' Worth County is the 47th community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Other certified Georgia counties in the region include Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Dougherty and Turner. Lee, Crisp, and Tift counties are in the certification process at the moment, as are Irwin and Dooly. To earn the designation, Worth County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Latoya Cutts. Program steps involved analyzing the current entrepreneurial and small business development environment and strategizing options for fostering small business and entrepreneurs. Worth County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff as well as representatives from the Small Business Development Center and Junior Achievement. Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Worth County are now eligible for customized market data, such as demographic and business information, to help give them a competitive edge. The county is also eligible for an Entrepreneur-Friendly Implementation Fund (EFIF) grant to help it implement specific, long-term programs that support their entrepreneurs and small businesses. The grant must be matched 50 percent in dollars or in-kind value by the community. 'We are very proud to have an abundant number of small business services in Worth County,' said Hollie Jones, Sylvester-Worth County Chamber president. 'The many services provided by our local and state entities are increasing our number of successful small businesses. The Entrepreneur Friendly process has helped us identify opportunities to improve awareness and build on the financing opportunities that exist for small businesses.' "Small business is big when you add it all up,' said Alex McCoy, director of the Worth County Development Authority. 'Building an environment conducive to small business creates an environment for other things. Small business is a key component to job creation in rural areas like Worth County. Also, these businesses provide stability for our local community. Typically, the owners live, work, go to church, and use our school system here. They have a vested interest in what our community is and will someday become." 'We congratulate Worth County for taking this proactive approach to supporting its small businesses,' added Chris Clark, chairman of the Georgia Entrepreneur and Small Business Coordinating Network and GDEcD's deputy commissioner of Global Commerce. 'Steps like these ensure growth and development in the local business community.' The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.