CROSSVILLE — Roane State Community College is one of nine centers to be selected as Regional Entrepreneurial Accelerators in the state. The accelerators will assist Tennessee entrepreneurs by providing mentoring, education and training, strategic and technical support and help finding sources of capital for business ventures.

Gary Goff, president of RSCC, said, "Roane State is unique in that two-thirds of our students, when they get their academic credential from us, enter directly into the workforce. So, we immediately provide a high-skilled workforce in this reason. From Roane State's point of view, we want to grow the workforce in the region, and to grow the workforce by graduating highly skilled workers, we need to be able to place them in jobs.

"It is to the benefit of our students and our region to have jobs, so it is the right thing to do. Roane State is equipped with the institutional structure and staff to promote economic development in our service area."

Roane State Community College, which operates the Cumberland Business Incubator in partnership with the city of Crossville and Cumberland County, will receive $250,000 from the competitive grant program. Each application was judged by a panel of reviewers and scores were based on how well the application responded to program criteria. Funding is from a combination of state and federal dollars and is contingent on each accelerator providing a minimum of $250,000 in local matching support.

"The incubator is designed and focused on people who want to start a business, whereas the accelerator grant has a higher focus on people who are already in business and want to expand and add more workers," Goff said. "It's a good match for the Upper Cumberland to have the business incubator here for new businesses and an opportunity to create new jobs with new businesses, and then the business accelerator grant to be able to support growth of existing businesses."

The partners in the accelerator grant are Tennessee Technological University, Upper Cumberland Development District, Tennessee Small Business Development Centers, Motlow State Community College, Nashville State Community College, Fentress County Chamber of Commerce, Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce, Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce, University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, First National Bank of Tennessee, East Tennessee Human Resource Agency/Local Workforce Investment Area 4, Tennessee Career Center Local Workforce Investment Board Area 7 and the Cumberland Business Incubator.

"The partners have committed their matches. We've put together an operating budget for this first year. We have already had our first meeting with building a capital network," Goff said. "By facilitating locally owned banks, we're trying to pull together an opportunity to create a lending structure in the Upper Cumberland and, working with all of the local community banks and TNESCO and other resources, to have the funds available and ready to go."

Roane State will be working with the partners to identify businesses that have weathered the financial difficulties of the past few years and are now ready to expand. These Platinum Clients that are ready to hit the ground running will have support in evaluating their finances, building a business plan and presenting their plan to prospective lenders.

Brad Fox, RSCC professor and project leader, said, "During the down economy, it became harder for small businesses to access capital. It's been a challenge, especially for start-ups that don't have a track record.

"We're working with the banks and public entities and resources out there. Some may not know the resources that are out there, how to apply or how to qualify."

The support services would help with the process, starting with writing a business plan so applicants can be prepared to get financing to launch or grow their business.

But the support doesn't stop after capital funds have been secured. The accelerator program would provide ongoing counseling, mentoring and business expertise to be successful in their business.

Rob Safdie, director of the Cumberland Business Incubator, said part of the grant would work to link the partners and form a consortium of resources for those starting or expanding a business. Those resources would reach the 14-county Upper Cumberland region.

"The question is, how can we coordinate and use all of these resources to better help someone who is starting a business or expanding their business?" Safdie said. "I think a core component of this was having professional and experienced men and women to provide business advisement but also the capability of taking that service to where it's needed."

Those resources include the resources available through the Tennessee Small Business Development Centers, which work with small businesses, as well as Chambers of Commerce, the Upper Cumberland Development District, Small Business Administration, community organizations such as the Service Corps of Retired Executives and volunteers with the CBI. The services and training will reach out to the communities through direct visits, utilizing distance learning technology and online training and assistance.

"These services are all free," Safdie added. "The staff who work in those systems are extremely qualified and experienced."

The accelerator program will also bring all those players to the table to discuss the services and expertise they each provide and keep each other apprised of changes and developments.

Vicki Henley, director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Tennessee Technological University, said, "That will help ensure clients are getting access to all the help that's out there. We have a more formal plan now for engaging each other and understanding the different roles each of us plays in assisting small business clients.

"Very few small businesses have all the resources they need to be successful without tapping outside resources. We have ongoing service, feedback and support to continue to support clients after they've launched their business."

The Accelerator will host a series of events during Global Entrepreneurship Week beginning Nov. 14. That evening, from 4 to 6 p.m., First National Bank in Cookeville, at 412 S. Jefferson Ave., will present an overview of the accelerator program and the entrepreneur services provided by TTU's Techete (entrepreneur technology center).

On Nov. 16, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center will be offering a start-up seminar from 1 to 3 p.m. in Byrdstown, and a program on business lending is set for Nov. 17 in Crossville from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All events are free and include light refreshments. Call the TSBDC at (931) 372-3648 for more information.

Accelerators are located in each of the nine Jobs4TN Jobs Base Camp regions.

"The Regional Entrepreneurial Accelerators will be an incredible asset throughout Tennessee throughout Tennessee to help aspiring entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses with expert mentoring and support," Gov. Bill Haslam said. "Startup companies have the potential to be a significant source of job creation, and we want to give local entrepreneurs their best chances for success as we work to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs."

Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagarty added, "Despite the economic challenges our state and country continue to face, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Tennessee. The Regional Entrepreneurial Accelerators will help promising entrepreneurs with the resources necessary to propel their companies along the spectrum of business growth and job creation."

The grant has the possibility of being renewed up to two years.

Support will continue to be offered to start-up businesses as well through the Cumberland Business Incubator. The CBI serves both resident and non-resident businesses with mentoring, help developing a business plan and market strategy, evaluating the market for the business and identifying capital resources.

The CBI facility is being considered to house BekZon, which has proposed locating its manufacturing operations at the facility while a permanent location is prepared in Crossville. Safdie said the city of Crossville and Cumberland County have committed to helping CBI clients with work space in other areas of the community for those resident clients in need of work space.

"There are places available on Main Street," Safdie said. "We'd like to see downtown grown, so we're also working with Downtown Crossville, Inc. to help identify locations."

Safdie said the effort to work with BekZon on bringing a new manufacturing operation to the community showed a dedicated effort to bring new jobs to the area.

"It's important for the community to know that its political leaders and education institutions are working together to open those doors," Safdie said.

For more information about the Jobs4UC Accelerator, call Brad Fox at (931) 456-9880, ext. 4173. Entrepreneurs or start-up businesses can find information about the regional accelerator program by emailing ecd.innovation@tn.gov or visiting www.tn.gov/ecd/Innovation.html.