New resources are available for small businesses in the Vernon-Central and surrounding South L.A. community, as the Southeast Los Angeles BusinessSource Center celebrated its grand opening on May 31.
Located at 2415 S. Central Ave., the Southeast Los Angeles BusinessSource Center sits on the historic Central Avenue corridor and offers various levels of assistance to microenterprises, small businesses as well as aspiring entrepreneurs in the city of Los Angeles in an effort to revitalize the local economy by providing service and resources to help business owners launch viable businesses, grow revenue streams, stabilize, and create jobs.
“Throughout the last two years we have seen the dire need for business support in all facets just for them to stay afloat during the pandemic,” said Councilmember Curren Price.
“With the new Southeast Los Angeles BusinessSource Center opening in District 9, this opportunity is going to provide resources that are going to strengthen the business economy and open the doors for current and future entrepreneurs to bring their passion and innovation to the community.”
COVID-19 highlighted the financial fragility of many small businesses and the addition of the Southeast Los Angeles BusinessSource Center to CD 9 and parts of Council District 14 provides critical services such as business coaching, access to capital, and entrepreneur training programs. Services are free and available in multiple languages.
Day-to-day operations of the Southeast Los Angeles BusinessSource Center will be led by the Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD), with oversight from the City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD).
“CRCD has been working in the community for 17 years to provide youth and adult workforce development services, education, and affordable housing,” commented Mark Wilson, CRCD president and CEO.
“When we helped form the Historic Central Avenue BID (Business Improvement District) a few years ago, we realized the need for the resources that a BusinessSource Center can bring to our community. The time has come, and we are ready to get to work helping new and existing businesses thrive.”
The Southeast Los Angeles BusinessSource Center is part of a network of 10 centers located throughout the city that are dedicated to leading entrepreneurs through the complexities of launching a business, while offering guidance to help them survive and thrive. The City of L.A. launched multiple COVID-19 grant programs to boost the odds of small businesses recovering the economic losses caused by the pandemic.
“The city’s BusinessSource Centers were instrumental in providing technical resources to small businesses during the application process, which contributed to many successful grant awards,” said Carolyn Hull, general manager of the City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department.
“The centers are a go-to resource and have the keys to unlock all of the City’s resources for small businesses that will ensure their success and longevity.”
For more information about the Southeast Los Angeles BusinessSource Center, visit https://southeastlabsc.org. To learn more about the BusinessSource Center system, visit bit.ly/LABusinessSource or ewddlacity.com.
