Southwestern Small Business Development Center available to assist small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, April 16

SWOCC release – Coos Bay, OR – The Southwestern Oregon Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is on the front lines helping small businesses through the COVID-19 financial crisis. SBDC’s expert advisors are available to help small business owners link with lenders and the U.S. Small Business Administration to learn about and understand the latest changes in assistance programs. In addition, advisors can help businesses look at cashflow and other needs to get through this crisis. While the SBDC office is closed, staff is helping businesses through online/virtual meetings. Advisors are able to offer Facebook Live events, Zoom Conferences, and printed materials for hundreds of local business owners. “Our staff and volunteers have been working diligently to answer questions, direct business owners to available resources, and lend a sympathetic ear. I’m proud of the way we have responded to this crisis and continue to do so to help our friends and neighbors on Oregon’s South Coast,” says Dr. John Bacon, Director of the Southwestern SBDC. Small businesses in Coos, Curry, and Western Douglas Counties are some of those that have been hardest hit in the financial downturn. Southwestern’s SBDC is actively working with the Governor’s Regional Solutions team, Business Oregon, and several regional partners to provide advising and assistance to those looking for information about resources made available from local, state, and federal offices. This includes the Paycheck Protection Program through banks and the SBA, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL). The state’s Workshare program through the Oregon Employment Department is also helping businesses retain employees. SBDC advisors, many of them former successful small business owners and bankers, understand both the needs and the available resources locally. “Time is a precious commodity right now. The earlier we can help a business, the better the chances the business will survive,” said Mark Gregory, state director of the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network. To connect with Southwestern’s SBDC visit: https://bizcenter.org/centers/southwestern-sbdc/