Contact: Ruth Semple, SBDC, 240-777-2038 or
Kristina Ellis, DED, 240-777-2024
For Immediate Release: August 28, 2001

County Expands Schedule
Of “Start-Right” Business Seminars

The Montgomery County Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has expanded the hours of its twice-monthly “Start-Right” seminars due to growing interest and attendance at recent sessions.

“Start-Right” seminars are held the first and third Wednesday of each month. Seminars on the first Wednesday of the month will now be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, expanding the session from two to three hours. Seminars on the third Wednesday of the month will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Seminars are held at the County Council Office Building, located at 100 Maryland Avenue, or the Executive Office Building, located at 101 Monroe Street, both in downtown Rockville.

“Start-Right” seminars provide new and prospective entrepreneurs with important information on starting or expanding a business in Montgomery County. Participants also learn about the many services and resources available to small businesses through the SBDC, as well as through other public entities including the Rockville Regional Library’s Business Information Center, Montgomery College, The Hispanic Business Institute, local Chambers of Commerce and other federal, state and county programs.

“We have seen a tremendous increase in attendance at our “Start-Right” seminars, from about 30 participants a few months ago to more than 50 at each of the August seminars,” said Dr. DeVance Walker, Jr., chief of the Small Business Services Division for the Department of Economic Development. “We attribute this success to increased community outreach by SBDC staff, enhanced marketing of SBDC programs and services, and perhaps most importantly, via word of mouth in the small business community.”

Two separate group sessions offering more in-depth information on specific business topics are held the first Wednesday of the month from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. and 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Locations for these sessions are announced at the morning “Start-Right” seminars.

The Maryland Small Business Development Center Network and the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development (DED) manage the Small Business Development Center, located in the Rockville Regional Library, 99 Maryland Avenue. The SBDC is dedicated to assisting the growth and success of small businesses throughout Montgomery County.

For more information or to register for a “Start-Right” seminar, please call 240-777-2041 or go to www.TheIdeaLocation.com.