Initiative to help small businesses reach next level of growth

SBA launches 2014 Emerging Leaders Initiative to assist with quick growth and job creation.

For the seventh consecutive year, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is looking for small businesses to partake in its highly successful Emerging Leaders executive-level training initiative that provides the tools they need to sustain and grow their businesses. The Emerging Leaders initiative is an intensive training program for small companies that have the potential for quick growth and job creation. This seven-month executive educational series includes classroom time and provides the opportunity for small business owners to work with experienced mentors, and develop connections with their peers, city leaders, and financial communities.

Local recruitment for the 2014 training cycle is now underway at selected SBA district offices, and classes are scheduled to begin in April 2014.

The number of participating cities has grown to 27 and includes Albuquerque, N.M.; Atlanta, Ga.; Baltimore, Md.; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colo.; Detroit, Mich.; Fresno, Calif.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Newark, N.J.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; Miami, Fla.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Minneapolis, Minn.; New Orleans, La.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Wash.; St. Louis, Mo.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Washington, D.C.; Wichita, Kan.; and Youngstown, Ohio.

Interested small business owners that want to apply to the 2014 training cycle should first look at the participant eligibility requirements.

Since 2008 the initiative has trained more than 2,000 promising small business owners in underserved communities, and continues its impact to help small business owners grow and create jobs. Nearly 400 businesses graduated in 2013—the largest graduating class since Emerging Leaders began.

After participants in the Emerging Leaders training graduate, companies have reported they were awarded federal, state, local and tribal contracts, worth more than $1 billion. Sixty-two percent of surveyed participants reported an increase in revenue, while 72 percent of those surveyed reported maintaining or creating new jobs in their communities.

More information on Emerging Leaders training is available online, as well as from local SBA District Offices in the participating cities.

Source: www.sba.gov