The U.S. Small Business Administration has opened a Women’s Business Center in Clanton to provide one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance and mentoring to women entrepreneurs in Chilton and surrounding counties.
This is part of the SBA’s largest expansion in 30 years and joins a national network of 136 centers that share a mission to support women-owned businesses.
Clanton was chosen for the center - which will be called the REACH (Regional Economic Assistance for Communicating Hope) Catalyst Women’s Business Center - because the SBA is looking to do more rural outreach and because of a stipulation that there be at least 100 miles between each WBC, said Thomas Todt, Alabama District Director of the SBA. A second center is located in Huntsville.
“The Clanton area has a good number of women entrepreneurs already, so there are good demographics,” he said.
“We are very excited at the District Office about The Catalyst receiving this opportunity to extend services into Chilton and surrounding counties,” Todt said. “The Catalyst has an outstanding record of assisting women (and men) entrepreneurs, so we look forward to having this service available in central Alabama.”