innovate arkansas

The Small Business Development Center in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has partnered with the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce to open the first Net Access Center in northwest Arkansas.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held July 13 at the Chamber of Commerce building in Rogers, in the Tyson Foods Conference Room where the Net Access Center is housed.

The Net Access Center is available to entrepreneurs in Benton County and surrounding areas. SBDC business consultants will work with clients through the Web-supported satellite office. In addition, center visitors will be able to use various tools such as online training programs, market research information, business planning software, and other Internet resources. The Net Access Center will also house the latest volumes of business- and entrepreneur-focused magazines, as well as, brochures and pamphlets from companies and organizations that service the small business industry.

"The Net Access Center allows SBDC clients an opportunity to receive first-rate, professional advice - at no charge - in the most efficient way possible," said Larry Brian, director of the Small Business Development Center. "We are truly grateful for our partners, such as the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber, that allow the SBDC to provide services to our clients that meet and exceed their expectations."

The Walton College Small Business Development Center operates as a regional office of the Arkansas Small Business Development Center. The ASBDC is part of a national network of more than 1,000 small business development center offices that provide training, information and consulting services to existing and potential business owners. The SBDC is designed to provide comprehensive management and technical assistance, through one-on-one counseling and group training, to current and potential small business owners. The SBDC network is the largest small business assistance program in the United States.

(This article was originally published on the Arkansas Research and Technology Park Web site.)