ROYAL OAK – State Representative Jim Townsend (Royal Oak) held a forum on small businesses last week to connect entrepreneurs with small business resources and to inform them about proposed legislation to benefit small businesses.
“Small businesses are the life-blood of our economy. If we are serious about turning around Michigan’s economy, we’ve got to do all we can to support Michigan’s entrepreneurs,” Townsend said. “This is why I was glad to put together this forum to help the people who want to start businesses and create jobs in our community.”
The forum was hosted in partnership with the Madison Heights-Hazel Park Chamber of Commerce and the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce and included presentations from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan Small Business Technology & Development Center. The forum also included an update on a package of bills that would assist small businesses introduced by House Democratic Caucus members last year, including measures to give tax credits to businesses that hired unemployed Michigan workers and that increase access to funding through microloans and other options.
“As a state representative, one of my primary goals is to increase opportunities for growth for our small business owners,” Townsend said. “I encourage everyone interested in starting a small business to learn about the resources available to them.”
Those interested in learning more about assistance available to Michigan entrepreneurs may contact the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center – Oakland County Economic Development Services by email at businessdevelopment@oakgov.com or by phone at (248) 858-8706.