Enterprise Appalachia Offers Ohio Entrepreneurs Ready Access to Knowledge and Labor

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Experts have identified four criteria that make up an ideal location for entrepreneurial business development: access to business capital and support services, access to knowledge and labor, access to supply chain and markets, and access to a balanced life. Inc. magazine has created a series of white papers that will help Ohio entrepreneurs evaluate potential locations for starting or growing their businesses. Today, Inc. publishes the second paper, "Building Your Knowledge Base," which highlights resources found in abundance in Ohio's Enterprise Appalachia.

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For entrepreneurs starting a business, Ohio's Enterprise Region makes it easy to leverage academic centers, skilled labor, and support services. For instance, Enterprise Appalachia is home to six Small Business Development Centers, which offer free consulting to start-ups and existing small businesses, and five business incubators, which provide an extensive list of support services to entrepreneurs who have a good idea, but need help with the business development side.

One example of a successful business incubator in Enterprise Appalachia is TechGROWTH Ohio, a $15 million initiative that provides operational assistance to entrepreneurs. John Glazer, Director of TechGROWTH, said, "When you are in business for yourself, there is no reason to be in business by yourself. At TechGROWTH, we have been able to develop a continuum of resources that take a company from point A to point B."

Ed Burghard, executive director of the Ohio Business Development Coalition, said "Every business begins with an entrepreneur who has a great idea, but a great idea will only get a business so far. Entrepreneurs need ready access to knowledge and skilled labor to lead their companies forward." Burghard added, "With organizations like TechGROWTH, entrepreneurs starting a business in Ohio's Enterprise Appalachia are able to strengthen their entrepreneurial knowledge – and business results, ensuring that their good idea is a profitable one."

Access to knowledge and labor is just one of the incentives entrepreneurs find in Ohio's Enterprise Appalachia. Inc.'s "Building Your Knowledge Base" outlines a wide range of resources for entrepreneurs starting a business, including: online databases for competitive research; executive MBA programs; Small Business Development Center programs; executive coaching; and CEO peer organizations.

In addition to ready sources of knowledge and labor, Appalachian Ohio delivers on the other ideal location criteria for business start-ups: ready access to capital, access to supply chains and markets and access to a balanced life. To learn more about the strategic advantages of Ohio's Appalachian Region, visit http://ohiomeansbusiness.com/enterprise_appalachia/.

About the Ohio Business Development Coalition

The Ohio Business Development Coalition is a nonprofit organization that provides marketing strategy and implementation to support Ohio's economic development efforts. For more information, visit www.ohiomeansbusiness.com.

SOURCE Ohio Business Development Coalition

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