City Council President Ginther Addresses Small-Business Owners and Advocates
Columbus City Council President Andrew J. Ginther spoke to
small-business owners and advocates, touting the initiatives and
ideas developed by City Council and others to help Columbus’ entrepreneurs
thrive.
“We’re proud at City Council of the work we’ve been able to
do in partnership with Mayor Michael B. Coleman to move the needle to enhance
the chance for success for our small businesses,” said Ginther, who addressed
the Mayor’s Small Business Conference and Expo at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.
“As a city, we need to continue to do all we can to help our
entrepreneurs gain access to resources that enable them to grow their
businesses so that they can employ as many people as possible,” said Ginther.
“That’s been one of the cornerstones of our successful economic development
agenda at City Council.”
Ginther said the city has undertaken many initiatives to
help small businesses including:
- Holding a series of roundtable discussions, both
in City Hall and out in the community, to listen to the needs of small business
owners.
- Creating a Small Business Concierge position to
help small businesses navigate government bureaucracy at all levels.
- Partnering with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce
to conduct a small-business survey, a study to understand the needs of small
businesses. This survey has helped guide Council policy and investments in
workforce development and other areas.
- Opening the Citywide Training and Development
Office so that employees of small business can attend free classes that include
computer and soft-skills training.
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