Some very small companies in Sanford may soon be getting some financial assistance to expand their businesses. The Sanford City Council held a hearing on Tuesday June 17th at which Growth Council Director Jim Nimon spoke in favor of a CDBG grant to establish a micro-enterprise assistance grant program. The Council voted unanimously to accept the $100,000 CDBG grant award. The city staff will now work to meet additional regulatory requirements before the program is officially rolled out. Still to be decided are the criteria to be followed to award grant money in the fairest and most impactful way. One program that applicants may be encouraged to look into is Top Gun, a great entrepreneurship resource, featured in the most recent MaineBiz.
Top Gun, run in Portland and Bangor by the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, aims to accelerate entrepreneurial development in the state using training, mentoring and community connections. So far, more than 170 companies have finished the five-month program, which involves classroom time and access to mentors who already have successful businesses, like GWI founder and CEO Fletcher Kittredge.
Read the full MaineBiz article here to learn more about the Top Gun program and to see comments from previous attendees.