FSCC, KSBDC contemplate joint venture

Friday, August 17, 2007

Fort Scott Community College officials are considering a partnership with a state agency that would, in the near future, help to create area jobs and expand the local economy.

During the FSCC Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, FSCC President Clayton Tatro discussed with the board a potential partnership between the college and the Kansas Small Business Development Center.

While trustees only received information on the proposed agreement during that meeting, they and other FSCC administrators are currently looking at entering into the partnership, Tatro said.

In the agreement, FSCC would join forces with the KSBDC program at Pittsburg State University to enhance the college's impact on small business development and entrepreneurship, according to an FSCC document.

Tatro said the board should have more "definite and formal" information on the proposed partnership within the next two to three months.

The joint effort would provide another community service project for FSCC to have at its disposal, he said.

"KSBDC helps connect with community colleges in Southeast Kansas," Tatro said. "It helps us serve the community, and extend our services to the community. It's a way that FSCC can engage in one more aspect of community service and economic development."

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius recently proposed a series of budget enhancements targeted at rural development in Kansas, with $1 million going to the KSBDC as part of the governor's Rural Development Initiative.

In the partnership with PSU, FSCC would work collaboratively with other community colleges in Southeast Kansas to bring a full-time KSBDC counselor to those colleges' campuses about one or two days each week.

According to a written statement obtained from FSCC, a partnership with KSBDC "is an investment in the future of your community, service area, children, families, educational system and businesses," and "an investment that enhances the economic viability of your community and the surrounding service area."

The counselor would help existing businesses and potential business owners in the area to create and save jobs, generate new sales and revenues, create new investment returns, and essentially grow their business, Tatro said. Should FSCC decide to enter into the partnership, the college would serve as an additional outreach center for the KSBDC program already in place at PSU, and would work to extend the program's services across the Southeast Kansas region, he said.

A full-time counselor enhances a community college's role in business assistance and entrepreneurship, and also meets and works with other resources in the region and state that will be used to respond to the needs of clients, the community, and the county, the FSCC statement said.

The program would cost each community college about $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the number of colleges that participate, the statement said.

The benefits of the program to businesses are numerous. A KSBDC document said that in 2006, long-term counseling clients started 261 businesses in 2006; helped generate 898 new jobs, 410 full-time jobs and 488 part-time jobs; and helped small businesses save an additional 1,272 jobs, including 527 full-time jobs and 745 part-time jobs last year.

Counselors also helped small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs generate $59 million in new sales last year, and helped 355 small businesses and entrepreneurs obtain $42 million in financing, including $8.6 million in equity injections in 2006.

More information on KSBDC benefits to business owners can be found on the Internet at www.ksbdc.biz, or by calling (877) 625-7232.

Last year, the KSBDC network provided more than 13,000 hours of free one-to-one counseling to 2,229 clients, conducted 439 workshops for 4,659 participants, and responded to 8,792 information requests, the agency statement said.

The KSBDC was founded in 1983 to help create new wealth in Kansas by starting and growing businesses, creating and saving jobs, and accessing capital. The agency consists of eight regional centers and two outreach centers.

The agency is a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Kansas Department of Commerce, and several other community colleges and universities across the state. The statewide host for KSBDC is Fort Hays State University in Hays.