NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — John Juby of Adams and his childhood friend and business partner Robert Waite and have spent nearly four years developing a solar-powered crosswalk sign.
The orders are beginning to come in, but they need a boost to take them to the next level. “We’re poised, ready to sell but it’s going to take money, money, money,” said Juby on Thursday. “So that’s why I came here.”
Here was the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Recovery Expo at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. It was the first time the SBA has sponsored an event in North Berkshire and it drew nearly 50 people looking for tips and funding sources to keep their businesses going and growing.
Nearly a dozen representatives from various business support groups spoke about the many funding and counseling opportunities available for businesses — from struggling mom-and-pops to startups to, yes, thriving companies.
State and federal officials say keeping small businesses operating is crucial to the economy.
“Small businesses have created 65 percent of new jobs over the last 15 years and over half the people in the United States work for or own a small business,” said Robert Nelson, the district director of the Massachusetts SBA office. “Small businesses drive competitiveness, innovation and they’re creating 21st-century jobs.”
In Massachusetts alone, businesses with 20 employees or fewer account from some 86 percent of all businesses, said Andre M. Porter, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
“We have an economy that’s dependent on small business,” he said, adding that the state office funds local nonprofits that provide local assistance, workshops, and “anything we feel will help people improve their business.”
