It's Easier to Head North

Go West, Young Man, is sooo 1800s. Today, three organizations are encouraging business men and women of any age to think about heading North instead.

White Mountains Community College, Northern Community Investment Corporation (NCIC), and the NH Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) recently collaborated to launch Business Services North, a one-stop point of access for businesses seeking services in the region.

The North Country is struggling economically with the loss of the paper mills and associated businesses, the general recession and the lack of snow this winter, says Stewart Gates, business advisor for the North Country for SBDC. That's why, he says, the three entities came together to ask, How can we transform ourselves to change the area? Are we geared up appropriately to achieve what we need to?

Business Services North allows existing businesses and startups to call one number (603-752-1113 ext. 3062) to find out what services these organizations offer, and to speak with a trained business consultant to help them determine which best meets their needs and connect to those services.

Business owners can access SBDC's confidential business management assistance and online e-learning program, the college's entrepreneurial counseling and group educational events, and NCIC's business financing, technology related grants, and marketing assistance. We thought bundling our technical services and knowledge with one phone number would better serve the region in a more comprehensive way, says Katharine Eneguess, president of White Mountains Community College. We found many people were misinformed [about available services] or accessing a variety of resources that were not helpful to them. This will assist people by going through one door instead of multiple doors.