FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

01-09-13 600AM

In early 2013, the City of Brentwood is offering several exciting, innovative programs designed to assist small local businesses:

Grants for Business District Marketing and Promotion

The city’s Business License Grant Program provides grants to local business organizations to help fund projects that promote the City of Brentwood as a business destination. The city will be accepting applications for the 2013-14 award cycle at the end of January. For more information, visit www.businessinbrentwood.com under Local Business Assistance, or contact Peggy Trudell by phone at 925-516-5187 or by e-mail at trudell@brentwoodca.gov.

Entrepreneur Training

The City of Brentwood is partnering with the Contra Costa Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to offer a 10-week intensive course in launching a new business venture. Among the topics included are basic business management, how to develop a business plan, financing and marketing.

Two free informational sessions will be held Jan. 17 and 31 from 10 a.m. to noon at City Hall, 150 City Park Way. Applications are due Feb. 7. For more information, visit www.businessinbrentwood.com under Local Business Assistance or contact Peggy Trudell by phone at 925-516-5187 or by e-mail at trudell@brentwoodca.gov.

Agricultural Enterprise Grant Program

The city is now accepting applications for the Agricultural Enterprise Grant Program, which provides funding to assist local agricultural organizations with marketing and business-improvement projects in order to promote the Brentwood agricultural area. Approximately $30,000 will be available for the 2013-14 award cycle.

Applications are due Feb. 22. For more information, visit www.businessinbrentwood.com under Local Business Assistance or contact Peggy Trudell by phone at 925-516-5187 or by e-mail at trudell@brentwoodca.gov.

Small Business Seminars

The city will hold its annual Meet the Lenders forum, which gives local businesses an opportunity to learn about typical lender requirements for conventional banks and other lending programs available to small businesses. In addition, the city is offering a series of technical seminars for small businesses from January to March. Topics include sales and marketing for business growth, practical problem-solving for businesses, and business strategy. The seminars will be taught by MANEX, a U.S. government-funded nonprofit corporation that provides technical assistance to small businesses.

For more information, visit www.businessinbrentwood.com under Local Business Assistance or contact Peggy Trudell by phone at 925-516-5187 or by e-mail at trudell@brentwoodca.gov.

Web-Based Small Business Services

The city is hosting a wide range of small-business services on its economic development website, www.businessinbrentwood.com. Small businesses now have the ability, from the privacy of their own offices and at any time of day or night, to access key information such as Tools for Business Success, an online service that helps small businesses learn about financing, marketing, procurement, business plans, how to form new business ventures and many other topics; demographic data; economic and market data; federal, state, local, and private-sector loan programs; business networking resources; and permit and zoning information.

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