County Administrator Richard Boeckman is hoping that there are some Barton County businesses that could bloom in the state’s garden in 2011, and he will provide what help he can to direct them to a program that could help.
Boeckman reported at this week’s Barton County Commission Meeting on the Kansas Economic Gardening Network.
It is an effort to help grow successes in the state’s rural communities.
Businesses that participate in the program will get help through free consultation services and more.
According to information from the Kansas Department of Commerce, the program is designed to help build successes around the state.
“The Kansas Economic Gardening Network is a pilot program designed to provide significant sophisticated technical assistance to identified second-stage companies that have the intent and capacity to grow their business.
“The Kansas pilot program will provide economic gardening assistance at no charge to 35-40 Kansas businesses in rural communities statewide. These selected businesses will interact with an experienced national economic gardening team who will deliver economic gardening services tailored to each business’s particular situation.”
The program is open to a variety of businesses, however they do have to meet some guidelines, according to information from the KDoC.
Criteria that have to be met to participate in the program include:
• Be a for-profit, privately-held company headquartered and operating in a rural community in Kansas.
• Have between $600,000 and $50,000 in annual revenue.
• Employ at least five but not more than 100 employees.
• Have maintained its principal place of business in Kansas for at least the two previous years.
• Demonstrate growth in employment or revenue in two of past five years.
• Provide products or services beyond current service area to regional or international markets. Retail and restaurants do not qualify.
• Must be referred by a NetWork Kansas partner.
The county’s participating in the program would be to help with applications and interested businesses can contact Boeckman, 793-1800, for more information.
The program is funded by the KDoC and will not require county funds, he added.