As of June, the Small Business Express program, which was authorized by the Connecticut Legislature in 2011, has worked with 1,128 businesses across the state, creating or helping retain more than 15,700 jobs, the state has reported.
State Sen. Anthony Musto, a Democrat representing Bridgeport, Monroe and Trumbull, made the announcement at the advance debut of a Bridgeport job center designed to further bolster those numbers. He had supported the legislation creating the Small Business Express program.
The new construction-themed job center is at 247 Madison Terrace. A spokesman for Musto said the hoped-for opening is “before the end of the year.”
In a statement touting the Small Business Express program”™s effectiveness, Musto cited 43 businesses in Trumbull, Bridgeport and Monroe that the Small Business Express program helped to expand.
The data dovetailed with the introduction of the construction training center, which is in motion with the help of the state”™s job-themed Small Business Expresss and STEP-Up programs.
Marshan Coleman of Bridgeport”™s Premier Construction MAC is establishing the new center, designed to educate 50 students at a time, teaching local residents the skills needed to start a career in the construction trades. His minority-owned company is 13 years old.
“Marshan Coleman is the kind of Bridgeport entrepreneur that builds a business from the ground up and putting people to work,” Musto said. “I am glad that the state of Connecticut has been able to work with Marshan on growing Premier Construction MAC into the business it is today. This new training center will offer a life-changing opportunity for people looking to start a new career in construction.”
“When Bridgeport businesses like Premier Construction MAC can grow and thrive, we’re able to hire more area residents and contribute to the local economy, benefiting the entire city,” Coleman said. “With the help of the Small Business Express program and STEP-Up, I was able to build upon the business I had founded, allowing me to hire more employees, several of whom had previously been unemployed. Soon we will be opening our new training center, which will allow people from the Greater Bridgeport area to learn the trade so that they can begin a lifelong career in the construction business.”
Coleman established Premier Construction MAC in 2001. Fifteen of his employees have come to the company through the Small Business Express and Step-Up programs.
STEP-Up has been used by 624 companies across Connecticut to hire 2,243 employees.
