CSUSB Program Receives Federal Grant

SAN BERNARDINO>> Helping underserved existing and aspiring businesses in the eastern Coachella Valley is the target of a $45,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Grant awarded to the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center, a program of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino. The grant was recently announced at the CSUSB Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration with USDA Rural Development Undersecretary Lisa Mensah and USDA Rural Development California State Director Janice Waddell in attendance. Mensah called the grant to the IESBDC special as the agency primarily offers loans programs, with limited grant funds available. “We are largely lenders, so it’s always special when we’re announcing a grant,” Mensah said. “But I know how important programs like our Rural Business Development Grant are to unlock the greater potential of private finance, and I know how critical these funds are to help businesses get to a next level, where then they can be borrowers and add the employees that make sense.” Mensah praised the center and CSUSB for their commitment to helping underserved businesses. “No business thrives on its own. Business is the most connected field you could be in. In order to make a market you have to know what it takes,” Mensah said. “We are so proud to be partnered with institutions who understand their role as springboards.” The grant will help provide Coachella Valley small businesses with technical assistance to help them improve and enhance their ability to take advantage of market opportunities, financing options and management training to create greater success in the market place, said Vincent McCoy, IESBDC executive director. “Our goals are to get more money, more resources and more confidence in business operation to those who need it through counseling and training that will be delivered from a local IESBDC office,” McCoy said. “Our focus will be education and outreach so that the recipients of the center’s services will become aware of USDA resources, be prepared to seek funding for their business projects, and leverage IESBDC technical assistance to develop effective business strategies, create financial projections in support of loans and create jobs, sustainable business models and become bankable.”