| Description: |
SCORE is a network of
experienced businesspeople, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business
Administration, who can provide small business owners with
advice on business planning and management. Through the
case manager, a client is matched with a SCORE counselor, whose
experience matches a business owners' needs. All counseling is
free of charge. |
| Address: |
Winston Prouty Federal Building
11 Lincoln Street, Room 106
Essex Jct., VT 05452 |
| Phone: |
(802) 951-6762 |
| Fax: |
(802) 951-6764 |
|
|
| Micro
Business Development Program (MBDP) |
| Description: |
MBDP is a statewide non-profit program
of the five Vermont Community Action Agencies, and offers
low-and moderate-income entrepreneurs technical
assistance for starting, expanding, or improving their
businesses. Services include: one-on-one business counseling,
classroom business training; facilitated peer support groups;
workshops on special topics; and loan application
assistance. MBDP now has special programs to assist
Vermont's refugees to start businesses and to help low income
individuals start child care businesses. Call for
details. Some business funding assistance is available
directly from MBDP through Individual Development Accounts or
matched savings programs. Each MBDP office also has a
computer lab with high-speed internet connection and business
resource materials for client use. All services are free
of charge to low- and moderate-income Vermonters. Please
call to set up an initial interview. |
| Address: |
431 Pine Street, Suite 2
Burlington, VT 05401 |
| Phone: |
(802) 860-1417, (800) 287-7971 |
| Fax: |
(802) 860-1387 |
| Contact: |
Jim White |
|
|
| New
England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (NETAAC) |
| Description: |
The Trade Adjustment Assistance
Program, funded by the United States Department of Commerce,
helps American manufacturers who are hurt by import competition
by providing them with consulting services at reduced costs. The
New England division, NETAAC, an assist New England
manufacturers who have experienced a decline in sales or
production and a decline in employment due to increasing imports
of directly competitive products. NETACC staff, or its
network of private consultants,
provides clients with top-notch business services and tailors
business strategies to each client's specific needs. NETAAC pays
up to 50% of the total cost of all services, and in some cases
as much as 75%. NETAAC has assisted over 1,000 New England
manufacturers in a broad variety of industries. This assistance
has been instrumental in reversing sales and employment declines
and in improving productivity. |
| Address: |
600 Suffolk Street, 5th Floor North
Lowell, MA 01854 |
| Phone: |
(978) 446-9870 |
| Fax: |
(978) 446-9820 |
| Email |
info@netaac.org |
|
|
| Northeast
Center for Food Entrepreneurship Center (NECFE) |
| Description: |
The Northeast Center for Food
Entrepreneurship (NECFE) provides comprehensive assistance to
beginning and established food entrepreneurs in dairy, meat,
fruit and vegetable, brewing and vinification operations.
The Center offers services, outreach, research and development
opportunities in five critical areas: business
development; product process development; product safety;
process/product technology transfer; and product
commercialization.
NECFE is a joint effort to expand the activities of the Food
Venture Center at Cornell University and the Center for Food
Science at the University of Vermont, and is funded in part by
the Fund for Rural America.
|
| Address: |
University of Vermont
Nutrition &
Food Sciences Department/NECFE
200 Carrigan Hall
536 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05405-0044
www.uvm.edu/viac |
| Phone: |
(802) 656-8300 |
| Contact Name: |
Pamela Clark
or J. Farnham |
|
|
| Small
Business Development Center (SBDC) |
| Description: |
SBDC is a partnership between the
Small Business Administration and the Vermont colleges and
universities to provide management assistance to meet the needs
of small business people. SBDC works to improve the economic
climate through the promotion and development of small
businesses. Business Specialists offer free business
counseling, strategic analysis, and financial analysis for
people with questions about starting a new business, acquisition
of a business, creating a business plan, marketing, expansion,
finance, etc.
SBDC also offers FastTrac, an entrepreneurial classroom
training for start-up and existing businesses. |
| Address: |
PO Box 786 (60 Main Street)
Burlington, VT 05402 |
| Phone: |
(802) 658-9228 |
| Fax: |
(802) 860-1899 |
| Contact Name: |
Derek
Cohen |
|
|
| The
Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC) |
| Description: |
The Vermont Employee Ownership Center
is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to
promote and foster employee ownership in order to broaden
capital ownership, deepen employee participation, retain jobs,
increase living standards for working families, and stabilize
communities. We provide information, referrals and
technical assistance on employee ownership of all kinds - from
Employee Stock Ownership Plans to worker cooperatives - to
business owners, employees, entrepreneurs and the general
public. |
| Address: |
33 Main Street (upstairs)
PO Box 546
Burlington, VT 05402 |
| Phone: |
(802) 861-6611 |
| Contact Names: |
Don Jamison
& Patty
Wood |
| Email: |
info@veoc.org |
|
| Vermont
Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) |
| Description: |
VMEC is a not-for-profit center that
assists small and medium size Vermont manufacturers (under 500
employees). VMEC's mission is to improve manufacturing in
Vermont. This is done through direct one-on-one assistance and
training to help manufacturers improve overall operations,
modernize processes, increase productivity, introduce new
technologies, reduce costs, and become more competitive.
VMEC provides services through its skilled, expert
Manufacturing Business Advisors and additional technical
resources as necessary. Initial, confidential needs
assessment is free of charge, with additional services on a
reasonable fee basis. VMEC also offers workshops on a wide
range of industrial process, engineering and management topics.
VMEC is developing a new program to bring more Vermont
businesses into the supply chain of the US Department of
Defense. This is part of a New England-wide, DOD-funded
initiative which will afford Vermont manufacturers opportunities
to match their capabilities with DOD procurement needs.
|
| Burlington Address: |
60 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05401 |
| Phone: |
Phone: (800) MEP-4MFG or (802)
660-2737 |
| Fax: |
Fax: (802) 658-1348 |
| Contact Name: |
Paul
Demers |
| Waterbury Address: |
4 Union Street, Unit One
Waterbury, VT 05676 |
| Phone: |
Phone: (800) MEP-4MFG or (802)
244-7667 |
| Fax: |
Fax: (802) 244-7677 |
| Contact Name: |
Paige
Lowry |
|
|
| Vermont
Women's Business Center |
| Description: |
The Vermont Women’s
Business
Center
provides services throughout the state of
Vermont
through women’s business counselors, via the Internet, and new
training opportunities. The Vermont Women’s
Business
Center, launched in 2002 in concert with the U.S. Small Business
Administration and its resource partners, is administered by
Central Vermont Community Action Council.
Its services are offered statewide through the Vermont
Community Action Agencies. Project
partners include the
Small
Business
Development
Center, the Vermont Secretary of State,
Woodbury
College, and the Vermont Commission on Women.
Additional partners include the Women’s Agricultural
Network (UVM Extension), the Vermont Job Start Program, the
Vermont Community Loan Fund, and other members of the Technical
Assistance Providers’ Association of Vermont (a network of
service providers, lenders, and educators meeting the needs of
emerging micro and small businesses). |
| Address: |
660 Elm Street
Montpelier, VT 05602 |
| Phone: |
Phone: (800) 226-4062 or (802)
229-2181 |
| Contact Name: |
Linda Ingold |
|
|
| Vermont
World Trade Office (VWTO) |
| Description: |
Thinking about going global? Put
the Vermont World Trade Office (VWTO) to work for you! The
VWTO was created to help you and your organization in the
ever-expanding and constantly changing world of international
business. The VWTO provides customized services and
program to companies that are currently doing business
internationally, those interested in growing the international
side of their business, and to those who wish to know more about
the processes of engaging in international business. The
office also organized trade missions and educational seminars.
The VWTO is your one-stop-shop for reaching international
markets.
Some of the services provided by the office include:
International Market Research - A broad look at the
global markets that are most suited for a particular
company. VWTO analyzes regulatory, political, economic and
social factors to recommend markets which have the greatest
future potential for a particular product or service.
International Team Development Counseling - The VWTO
will help bring together the various elements of your business
and informally merge them into a cohesive and efficient team
capable of handling all of your international needs.
Trade Inquiry Assistance Program - services include:
1) Verifying the legitimacy of your international
partners
2) Finding freight forwarding or shipping services to
export or import your product
3) Assisting with Export Documentation
4) Identifying distributors
|
| Address: |
60 Main Street, Suite 102
Burlington, VT 05401 |
| Phone: |
(802) 865-0493 |
| Fax: |
(802) 860-0091 |
| Contact Name: |
Ingrid
Pels |
|
|
| Women's
Agricultural Network (WAgN) |
| Description: |
Women's Agricultural Network (WAgN) is a collaborative effort of the
UVM Extension System and
the United States Department of Agricultural. They assist
individuals starting or expending farms or agriculturally
related businesses. WAgN provides education, technical
assistance, and networking opportunities, including the Growing
Places workshop, which provides tools for evaluating and
planning a farm business opportunity. |
| Address: |
UVM Extension, 617 Comstock Rd., Suite
5
Berlin, VT 05602 |
| Phone: |
(802) 223-2389, 866-860-1382 |
| Fax: |
(802) 223-6500 |
| Contact Name: |
Mary
Peabody |
|
|
| Women's
Small Business Program (WSBP) |
| Description: |
Women's Small Business Program (WSBP)
provides women with the opportunity to explore business
ownership in a supportive environment and in the company of
other women. WSBP equips women with the business skills
and support to start, operate, and expand micro
enterprises. Courses include Getting Serious, a day-long
workshop designed for women to explore the possibilities and
realities of business ownership; and Start Up, a fifteen week
business skills training program for women who are starting,
stabilizing or expanding a small business. Participants
write a complete business plan that is reviewed by area business
professionals. |
| Address: |
346 Shelburne Road
Burlington, VT 05401 |
| Phone: |
(802) 846-7338 |
| Fax: |
(802) 846-7237 |
