Pat Campanaro
Pat Campanaro came before the Cook County commissioners on Tuesday, February 10 with a report from the Small Business Development Center SBDC).
In July of 2014, the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) agreed to sponsor the SBDC, and Campanaro, the SBDC consultant, moved from her office at Cook County Higher Education to the EDA’s office space in Grand Marais City Hall.
Campanaro said over the last 18 months she has worked with a variety of people to help create nine new business. These businesses have added nine full-time positions and four part-time positions. This has resulted in $72,950 in new economic dollars invested in those businesses, said Campanaro.
During the last year and a half Campanaro has spent 1,095.5 hours working with 72 different clients in a variety of consulting areas.
Besides helping new business owners and entrepreneurs, Campanaro works with existing owners of businesses to help secure capital funding and loan packaging, cash flow management, market research, social media/ ecommerce consulting, human resource management, training services, and turn around assistance, to name a few of the ways she can assist people.
As Campanaro has said in the past, she doesn’t have all of the answers to questions that need answering, but because she partners with the University of Minnesota Center for Economic Development, she has access to a huge amount of information and expertise that can help most business owners or entrepreneurs find the help that they need.
For the coming year Campanaro said she wants to expand partnerships. “In 2015 intend to partner with like-minded organizations to be more efficient and effective.
Strengthening existing ties with the Cook County Chamber of Commerce and Cook County Higher Education will allow us to deliver more programs and training to help businesses grow and prosper. I am also partnering with the North East Entrepreneurial Fund to develop a Cook County initiative to increase small business activity growth.
“A third initiative is to partner with WTIP radio to develop a radio program to showcase SBDC services and solicit and promote activity,” said Campanaro.
Commissioner Jan Sivertson commended Campanaro, “This is great work. It’s very exciting.”
Anyone who would like more information about the services available though SBCC is encouraged to contact Campanaro at (218) 387-3112 or by email to pcampanaro@gmail.com. Information is also available on the EDA’s website www.prosperitynorth.com.
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