A door to greater business opportunities is about to open for the companies and communities of Eastern Kentucky with the proposed construction of a federal prison in Roxana. For those who wish to get a leg up on the many prospects the prison will bring, the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, in partnership with the Letcher County Fiscal Court, will offer the Preparing for Opportunity training series.

Businesses can choose from workshops offered along two training tracks: government contracting and general business.

The three-part series will take place on July 12, July 26 and Aug. 9, with live instruction taking place at the Whitesburg campus of Southeast Community and Technical College ITV rooms and broadcast to the Middlesboro and Cumberland campuses. Instruction will be from 3-5 p.m. EDT or 6-8 p.m. at the Whitesburg campus. Only the 6 p.m. session will be broadcast to the Middlesboro and Cumberland campuses. A resource fair will be hosted at the Whitesburg campus from 4-6 p.m.

The training topics by date include:

July 12           Government Contracting Overview

                       Keys to Startup Success

July 26           Exploring Certification and Certification Options

                             Where’s the Money? and Overview of Financing Options

August 9        How to Market to the Federal Government

                       Customers Mean Profit-Maximize Your Marketing

 “KSBDC is happy to invest in this region by underwriting the training cost that would normally run $300 per person for the three-part series,” said Becky Naugle, KSBDC state director.

There is no cost to participants, but seating is limited and pre-registration is required. Early enrollment is encouraged. Please note that workshops in each training track run concurrently. Register online at https://www.ksbdc.org/preparing-for-opportunity.

For more information, visit https://www.ksbdc.org/moving-forward-letcher-countyor contact Shawn Rogers at 859-257-7662 or email movingforwardletcher@ksbdc.org.

The Kentucky Small Business Development Center, part of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is a network of 13 offices located throughout the state. The center helps existing and start-up businesses succeed by offering high quality, in-depth and hands-on services. KSBDC is a partner program with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information on KSBDC services, visit their website, https://www.ksbdc.org/.

Other partners include: Kentucky Small Business Development Centers at Pikeville and Ashland, Southeast Small Business Development Center, Small Business Administration, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, Kentucky Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, Kentucky Innovation Network – Pikeville , Kentucky River Area Development District, Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises Inc. and Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet – Minority and Women Business Enterprise Certification.