A business resource centre in Rocky Mountain House that helps entrepreneurs get off the ground has received a lift itself.
The Rural Alberta Business Centre is getting $90,000 from the Rural Alberta Development Fund.
That money is in addition to the more than $2 million previously pledged by the province to create eight Alberta Business Centres on a three-year pilot project basis, including one in Rocky.
The centres’ mandate is to offer business information and advice, research services, and seminars and workshops to existing and aspiring small business operators.
They also provide clients with access to computers and the Internet, and enable them to connect to The Business Link — a provincial research centre.
The Rocky centre, which is managed by the Town of Rocky Mountain House and has Michelle Andrishak as its small business adviser, has been operating since February.
It’s receiving positive reviews from the business community, said Brad Dollevoet, the town’s director of planning and community development.
“The Rural Alberta Business Centre has been a tremendous benefit to the Rocky Mountain House and area business community,” he said.
“Businesses now have a local link with resources, such as information seminars, grant information, business plan preparation and marketing advice.”
And that, he added, gives them the same opportunities as their counterparts in larger urban centres.
Dollevoet said the additional funding should enable the Rocky centre to provide even more programs and services, and extend its reach to communities like Eckville and Caroline.
The other Rural Alberta Business Centres are located in Camrose, Cold Lake, Fort Macleod, Hanna, Grande Cache, Slave Lake and La Crete.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com