New Bern, North Carolina is located just north of Wilmington and south of Greenville. It's a small community of just under 30,000 residents. People like it there, and so do small businesses. There is a real entrepreneurial spirit that exists and is nurtured by local government. Two businesses in particular will be receiving assistance with grants to help their business grow.
Recently, the city of New Bern applied for grant money from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Local governments can apply for $150,000 to $250,000. Small businesses who want to expand can then apply for grants through their local government. For each new job that will be created as a result of expanding their business, small business owners can apply for grants of up to $25,000 per job. Small businesses can use the grant money for purchasing property, buying equipment or renovating buildings.
The grant money is part of North Carolina's Small Business and Entrepreneurial Assistance (SBEA) Program which funds programs for North Carolina local city governments to increase business and create jobs in their area. One of the businesses in New Bern who will receive grant money is a car wash that is expanding and creating 8 new jobs. The other business is a day care facility which will add one more job as a result of their expansion.
North Carolina has more than 800,000 small businesses. The North Carolina Department of Commerce is dedicated to offering services and programs that support small business owners as the backbone of the economy.
For more information, visit www.nccommerce.com/smallbusiness