The Women”™s Enterprise Development Center Inc. (WEDC) in White Plains will use a federal disaster relief grant to assist entrepreneurs affected by Hurricane Sandy and others with supplemental business programs.
WEDC received $77,634 from the U.S. Small Business Administration as part of a six-month initiative to ramp up existing counseling and training services for small business owners in the disaster area. A second phase of the SBA”™s Office of Entrepreneurial Development program will spur long-term economic small business recovery and resiliency.
WEDC officials said the grant will be used to supplement the agency”™s existing business assistance programs with intensive one-on-one small business counseling, facilitated peer support services and disaster preparedness workshops.
“Superstorm Sandy caused significant harm to many small businesses in Westchester, Dutchess, Rockland and Putnam counties,” WEDC Executive Director Anne M. Janiak said in a statement. “Some were affected more severely than others, but in general, the entire region suffered. For the past 16 years, WEDC has helped small businesses grow and thrive. This grant will enable us to further advance the area”™s small business recovery and resilience.”
The Sandy-related programming will kick off June 20 with a seminar titled, “Strategies and Tactics to Protect Your IT Systems When Disasters Strike,” presented by William Abram, founder and president of Pragmatix Inc. in Elmsford.
The seminar will be from 6 to 8 p.m. in the lobby boardroom at 1133 Westchester Ave. in White Plains.
Additional seminars will be offered in July and August.
On June 24, WEDC will begin its Peer Exchange Program Plus (PEP+), a program held twice monthly over a four-month period to provide support and technical assistance to business owners. The meetings run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
WEDC officials said the nonprofit also would increase its one-on-one business counseling services. This new programming is targeted for startups, established and Sandy-impacted companies.
For additional information about Sandy-related and other small business programs and services and to make an appointment with a business counselor, contact WEDC at (914) 948-6098 x15 or info@wedcbiz.org.
