Grow Waynesboro Offering GrowthWheel

WAYNESBORO, VA– The City of Waynesboro Economic Development Department’s flagship program, Grow Waynesboro, is partnering with the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center to provide free business training to enrollees in the SBDC’s ten-week GrowthWheel® Workshop Series.

GrowthWheel® is a visual toolbox for decision-making and action-planning for start-up and growing companies. SBDC will be offering a GrowthWheel® Workshop Series in Fishersville from February 23, 2016 through July 12, 2016. There will be a free informational session in Fishersville on February 9, 2016. The tuition cost to attend the full program will be reimbursed for the first five Grow Waynesboro grant applicants to enroll. Start-up Waynesboro businesses registering should let SBDC know of their intent to participate in Grow Waynesboro, The Search as part of its comprehensive initiative this year to find, fund and support new Waynesboro entrepreneurs.

Grow Waynesboro, which recently launched a small business start-up grant competition, The Search, seeks to ensure Waynesboro entrepreneurs have access to training and funding opportunities. The competition, announced on January 20, 2016, specified awards of more than $20,000 in the form of grants and training opportunities to start-ups within the city. GrowthWheel® is one of those opportunities.

“It’s critically important that our entrepreneurs have access to the support that strengthens their business concepts. We want that offer to extend beyond competition finalists,” says Courtney Cranor, Assistant Director of Economic Development for the City of Waynesboro. “In addition to the grant dollars that will be awarded through The Search, Grow Waynesboro intends to assist with training and networking needs of entrepreneurs.”

Waynesboro entrepreneurs who are planning to apply for the Grow Waynesboro grant competition are all eligible to receive the scholarship for SBDC’s GrowthWheel® Workshop Series. Interested participants must register for the 10-week training program (which begins on February 23), attend at least 80% of the sessions, and complete their application for a Grow Waynesboro start-up grant by April 4, 2016 to receive the full tuition reimbursement. Additional info can be found online at GrowWaynesboro.com.

“We at the SBDC are delighted to partner with Grow Waynesboro on the educational component to the program.” says Joyce Krech, Director of the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center. “The discussion in these workshops will add a critical dimension to their business planning as participants learn from and with each other.”
Information on GrowthWheel® can be found at www.valleysbdc.org/services/consulting/growthwheel/

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