Barton County will continue to support a regional program that has shown it can help get new business starts in this part of the state.
The Barton County Commission agreed Monday to provide $15,295 for the continued operation of Prairie Enterprise Project, an effort that, since 2002, has brought more than 100 new small businesses to this region, according to PEP Board Chairman Vicky Dayton.
Dayton told the commissioners that the organization, which operates in Barton, Edwards and Russell counties, has encouraged area entrepreneurs and helped to train them in successful business models over that time.
Through the use of an extended volunteer board of directors — made up of successful area business leaders — these small business starts are able to get off the ground and be successful, adding to the local employment picture in the process, Dayton explained.
She reported that 116 businesses have created 359 jobs and retained many more, with 200 of the job creations in Barton County alone.
Contributions and public support are sought for this project, Dayton added, because its philosophy is that the help should be provided without cost to the entrepreneurs.
County Administrator Richard Boeckman noted there are only four of these programs in the state and there is a great deal of attention to this program’s success.
The original funding request was $15,780, which was cut by 5 percent, as have been all such programs funded by the county this year.