AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – In 2022, with support from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Augusta Polytechnic Institute and the Augusta Downtown Development Authority received $2.3 million to build a microenterprise center for small businesses in Augusta. .
On Thursday, leaders unveiled the building that will house the small business center and introduced the name “Accelerate Augusta.”
The location will be 600 Broad Street. Located in the heart of downtown, Accelerate Augusta serves as the city’s official hub for all things small business for new and veteran small business owners.
“This is a project we started two years ago. The official announcement is today,” said Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Margaret Woodard.
Once open, entrepreneurs will be able to walk into the building for legal, financial, human resources, and marketing assistance without having to outsource these services themselves.
“Our mission is to provide talent to this community, but also to provide bridges and opportunities for people with dreams,” said Dr. Germaine Wahl, president of Augusta Tech University. I did.
Leaders say the idea for what the microenterprise center will offer came from a series of focus groups with small business owners themselves.
This is how entrepreneurs succeed, and it’s an idea born out of the pandemic.
“It is estimated that 35% of small businesses and startups do not succeed,” Woodard said.
It is hoped that Augusta’s storefronts will continue to be filled with small businesses.
Construction will begin in January and is targeted for completion next fall.
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