Entrepreneur Center seeks Eastside businesses to receive free university consulting help

BELLEVUE, WASH.– The Bellevue Entrepreneur Center is seeking 10 East King County businesses to take part in no-fee consulting projects that start in March and April, 2005.

Selected businesses will receive consulting assistance by teams of faculty, students, and industry advisors from the University of Washington-Bothell, Bellevue Community College and City University. To date, 35 local businesses have received assistance valued at more than $1 million. Projects have led to revenue growth as high as $140,000 a month.

The projects focus primarily on women-, minority- and immigrant-owned firms, but all small businesses on the Eastside are encouraged to apply.

Selected business make firm time commitments over three months, provide operational and financial data, and reimburse small materials costs. The consulting teams sign confidentiality agreements to protect company privacy.

For more information, contact the Bellevue Entrepreneur Center by email at wsbdc@bcc.ctc.edu , phone at 425-564-2888, or at www.beconline.org on the Web.

The Bellevue Entrepreneur Center is a non-profit partnership of local governments, higher education, community organizations and private enterprise working together to accelerate small business development and success. The Center, located at the North Campus of Bellevue Community College, also provides no-fee, one-on-one counseling assistance.

In 2004, Bellevue Entrepreneur Center clients reported revenue increases averaging 57 percent, going from $15 to $24 million, and receipt of a total $6.5 million of venture capital, equity, and debt investment.

###