The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce (ASCC)/Associated Industries of Arkansas (AIA) will serve as a spoke for the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center’s (ASBTDC) $2.5 million Community Navigator Pilot Program grant. The grant, awarded to ASBTDC by the U.S. Small Business Administration, is designed to reduce barriers that underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs often face in accessing the resources they need to recover, grow, or start their businesses.

ASCC/AIA is one of six trusted community partners that will act as a spoke throughout the two-year project that kicks off December 1. Through this grant, the Chamber will create business assistance resources for small businesses throughout Arkansas to use to start, build, and grow their businesses.

“We look forward to working with the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and other partners to provide meaningful access to capital and other resources that Arkansas’s small businesses need to succeed,” said Michael Singleton, associate state director of ASBTDC and principal investigator for the project.

ASCC/AIA President and CEO Randy Zook expects the specialized training and resources developed through this grant will greatly benefit Arkansas’s entrepreneurs that are still working through the COVID-19 pandemic and a difficult business climate.

“Arkansas has a lot of room to improve its business start-up climate. This grant will go a long way in improving the odds of success for small businesses in Arkansas and we are excited about partnering with ASBTDC to do just that,” said Zook.