Staunton to offer supply chain workshop series for small business owners

Thanks to a $90,000 grant, small, local businesses will soon have an opportunity to participate in workshops that could help them increase net gains and achieve added value along the rural supply chain.

The City of Staunton, in conjunction with Staunton Creative Community Fund, received the USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant in May 2014 to provide technical assistance to the City’s small business community. The City has selected Skill Set Partners, LLC to provide supply chain consulting services

Staunton Economic Development will team up with Skill Set Partners to offer a series of workshops that will produce tailored assessments and recommendations to inform individual private enterprise decision-making. Facilitators will directly provide leadership in the participants’ respective supply chains, to include the emerging local food and culinary sector in Staunton.

The Staunton community has built an economy that bridges the intersection between innovation and local heritage.

“The City recruits and develops businesses that generate creative innovation while enhancing the sustainability and vibrancy of our community”, said the City’s Mayor, Carolyn Dull. “These community development activities in turn further enhance the recruitment potential for larger firms and employers, adding depth to our business community”.

Led by Skill Set Partners, the workshop series will provide multiple six-week classes, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one assistance geared towards confronting the barriers to growth in today’s business operations. An integral part of the City’s economic development efforts, the series will provide those existing businesses within the community with a curriculum tailored to their needs.

“Our goal will be to provide participants direct and easy access to tools and support that will help them realize reduced costs, enhanced workflow, increased outputs, and maximized profits”, said Suzanne Miller, owner and operator of Skill Set Partners. The six-week class will be offered in the morning and evening, commencing sometime in March 2015.