2016 Annual Small Business Technical Assistance Grantee Meeting

Mar 29 2016
STBA Grantee Group Meeting

With over 60 attendees from community development corporations, chambers of commerce and micro-lending organizations across the Commonwealth, the group covered a wide range of topics emphasizing the importance of providing technical assistance to help the growth of small businesses.  “The attendees represented the “best of the best” of small business assistance providers from across the Commonwealth and it is a privilege to have MGCC partnering with their efforts” said Larry Andrews, President and CEO of MGCC.

Highlights included:

  • Assistant Secretary Nam Pham from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, discussed the critical role small business organizations play in the Commonwealth and encouraged participants to think of additional ways to engage and partner at the local level;
  • Joe Kriesberg, President of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, provided a Legislative Overview of the Small Business Technical Assistance  program;
  • Claudia Green, Executive Director of English for New Bostonians, shared an informative and inspiring presentation on the resources available for English as Second Language (ESL) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) startups and entrepreneurs;
  • Alison Moronta, MGCC Loan Officer and Grant Program Manager, lead the group in informative discussions on ways to track jobs created and the impact they have in communities and regional economies, and valuable resources available for better employment and retention;
  • NewVue Communities Director of Small Business Assistance, Ray Belanger, shared the best practices they have seen for companies to grow geographically and/or regionally;
  • The group was also provided with information for business legal resources for their clients from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and the Conservation Law Foundation.  

MGCC's Small Business Technical Assistance Grant program is designed to complement and enhance the traditional public and private small business assistance network by providing technical assistance or training programs for underserved and disadvantaged businesses with 20 employees or fewer.  The grant recipients, which are selected in a competitive process, include community development corporations, micro-lenders and chambers of commerce. MGCC awarded grants to 30 organizations across the Commonwealth in Fiscal Year 2016. These organizations are committed to helping small business flourish and improving their regional economy with locally driven solutions.

MGCC would like to thank all the grantees for their dedication in supporting small businesses throughout the Commonwealth.

Should you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Alison Moronta, Loan Officer/Grant Program Manager, by telephone at 617-337-2820 or by email at amoronta@massgcc.com

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