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A Publication Featuring The Information
Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume VII, Issue 5 | May 2004 |
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U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, has initiated Project GATE (Growing America Through Entrepreneurship), a program designed to give individuals interested in self-employment the training and support needed to start and/or expand a small business.
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The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration have teamed up with the Small Business Administration to create an exciting new program to help people create and expand small businesses. New businesses create jobs, improve our community and expand the U.S. economy. Project GATE — Growing America Through Entrepreneurship — has been designed to help people like you who are interested in starting or expanding a business. Maine was one of three states chosen to participate in a multiyear study by the federal government to determine if the value of business assistance programs are worth their cost. Being the only rural state involved in the project, marketing is a unique challenge compared to the other states involved. Project GATE is operating in Maine (Lewiston, Portland and Bangor); Minnesota (Duluth and Minneapolis - St. Paul); and Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia). |
"Project GATE is a unique partnership between the Department of Labor, CareerCenters and a variety of local small business development providers, and we want to be absolutely sure that Maine people reap the benefits of this project," says Stephen Duval, State Coordinator with the Maine Department of Labor's Bureau of Employment Services.
The program hopes to attract 500 entrepreneurs in the coming months. Project GATE orientations are held weekly at the Portland, Lewiston, and Bangor CareerCenters. In an effort to attract participants, several new and growing businesses and entrepreneurs in Maine will be featured in a statewide campaign. Included will be Alan Holt of the newly formed Holt and Lachman architects of Portland who recently registered for Project GATE.
Recently, the Department of Labor selected Shoestring Creative Group, another small Maine company to handle the marketing of Project GATE. According to Duval, "We chose Shoestring Creative Group to represent Project GATE and the opportunities it presents for entrepreneurs to launch and grow new businesses because they really know how to reach Maine people."
So what does Project GATE have to offer? Many individuals have the motivation and skills to develop a small business, but lack business expertise or access to financing. Project GATE will assist these individuals by providing free business training, one-on-one business counseling, and technical assistance to apply for small business loans. The benefits of Project GATE are many.
Project GATE is a research project, which means that anyone who applies has a 50% chance of being accepted into the program. The primary objective of the project is to examine the viability and effectiveness of teaming workforce development and economic development services in the one-stop environment. In order to evaluate Project GATE, a process similar to a lottery will randomly select half of all applicants to receive Project GATE services. The lottery ensures that everyone submitting an application has an equal chance of being selected. The only eligibility requirements are that you must be at least age 18, legally able to work in the United States, and have a legal business idea. If you are not selected to receive services from Project GATE, you are still eligible to receive other services normally available in your community.
For more information about GATE project, please visit Maine’s Project GATE website at: www.mainegate.org or contact:
Steve Duval
Project GATE State Coordinator
Maine Department of Labor
Bureau of Employment Services
55 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 624-6369
Stephen.Duval@maine.gov.
