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V O L . X X I I N O. X V 34 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E B U S I N E S S R E S O U R C E S Resource partners I n addition to district offices, which serve every state and territory, the SBA works with a variety of local resource partners to meet your small business needs: SCORE chapters, Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women's Business Centers (WBCs). To find your local district office or SBA resource partner, visit: www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance SCORE For more on SCORE, visit www.sba.gov/score or call 800-634-0245 for the SCORE office nearest you. Additional information can be found at www.SCORE.org SCORE is a national network of more than 11,000 entrepreneurs, business leaders and executives who volunteer as mentors to America's small businesses. SCORE volunteers donated more than 1.1 million hours providing services to small business clients. SCORE leverag- es decades of experience from seasoned business professionals to help entre- preneurs to start and grow companies and to create jobs in local communities. SCORE does this by harnessing the passion and knowledge of individuals who have owned and managed their own businesses and want to share this "real world" expertise with you. Found in more than 350 chapters and 800 locations throughout the country, SCORE provides key services — both face-to-face and online — to busy en- trepreneurs who are just getting started or are in need of a seasoned business professional as a sounding board for their existing business. As members of your community, SCORE mentors under- stand local business licensing rules, eco- nomic conditions and important business networks. SCORE can help you by: Matching your specific needs with a business mentor Traveling to your place of business for an on-site evaluation Teaming with several SCORE mentors to provide you with tai- lored assistance in a number of business areas Small Business Development Centers For information on the SBDC program, visit www.sba.gov/sbdc The Portland office can be reached at 207-780-4420 mainesbdc@usm.maine.edu www.mainesbdc.org e mission of SBA's Small Business Development Centers is to build, sustain and grow small businesses. It's also to promote small business devel- opment and enhance local economies by creating businesses and fulfilling its mission of creating jobs. In addition to its core services, the SBDCs offer special focus areas such as green business technology, disaster recovery and preparedness, export as- sistance, international trade assistance, veteran's assistance, technology trans- fer and regulatory compliance. e program combines a unique combination of federal, state and private sector resources to provide, in every state and territory, the foundation for the eco- nomic growth of small businesses. Maine SBDC hosted by CEI at FAME 5 Community Dr./P.O. Box 949 Augusta, ME 04332-0949 207-620-3521 Maine SBDC hosted by CEI at MCCOG Midcoast West 759 High St., 3rd Fl. Bath, ME 04530-2828 207-443-5790 ext. 18 Maine SBDC Service Center at CEI — Bangor One Cumberland Place, Ste. 302 Bangor, ME 04401 207-942-1744 Maine SBDC at Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) — Caribou 11 W. Presque Isle Rd./P.O. Box 779 Caribou, ME 04736-0779 207-498-8736 or 800-427-8736 Maine SBDC at CEI — Ellsworth 210 Main St., Ste. 7 Ellsworth, ME 04605-1950 207-664-2990 Maine SBDC hosted by CEI at KVCOG — Fairfield 17 Main St. Fairfield, ME 04937-1119 207-453-4258 ext. 215 Maine SBDC at Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG) — Lewiston/Auburn 125 Manley Rd. Auburn, ME 04210-3600 207-783-9186 Maine SBDC at CEI — Machias Sunrise County Economic Council 53 Prescott Dr. Machias, ME 04654-0679 888-269-0566 Maine SBDC at University of Southern Maine (USM) — Portland P.O. Box 9300 Portland, ME 04104-9300 Location: 501 Forest Ave., Portland 207-780-4949 Maine SBDC hosted by University of So. Maine at SMRPC — Sanford/Springvale 21 Bradeen St., Ste. 304 Springvale, ME 04083-1925 207-324-0316 Maine SBDC at CEI — Midcoast East 36 Water St./P.O. Box 268 Wiscasset, ME 04578-0268 207-882-4340 Women's Business Centers For more information, visit www.sba.gov/wosb or www.sba.gov/women e SBA's Women Business Center (WBC) program is a network of over 100 community-based centers that provide business training, counsel- ing, coaching, mentoring and other assistance geared toward women, particularly those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. To meet the needs of women entrepreneurs, WBCs offer services at convenient times and locations, including evenings and weekends. WBCs are located within non-profit host organizations that offer a wide variety of services in addition to the services provided by the WBC. Many of the WBCs also offer training and counseling and provide materials in different languages in order to meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve. WBCs often deliver their services through long-term training or group counseling, both of which have shown to be effective. WBC training courses are often free or are offered for a small fee. Some centers will also offer schol- arships based on the client's needs. While most WBCs are physically located in one designated location, a number of WBCs also provide cours- es and counseling via the Internet, mobile classrooms and satellite loca- tions. WBCs have a track record of success. In fiscal year 2013, the WBC program counseled and trained nearly 134,000 clients, creating local eco- nomic growth and vitality. In addition, WBCs helped entrepreneurs access more than $25 million in capital. In addition, the WBC program has taken a lead in preparing women business owners to apply for the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program that authorizes contracting officers to set aside certain federal contracts for eligible women-owned small busi- nesses or economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses. Southern Maine Business Counselor 2 Portland Fish Pier, Ste. 206 Portland, ME 04101 207-772-5356 sguerette@ceimaine.org Rim Counties Business Counselor Betty Gensel 165 Front St./P.O Box 963 Farmington, ME 04938 207-778-6529 bjg@ceimaine.org Downeast/Virtual Business Counselor Ruth Cash-Smith 53 Prescott Dr., Ste. 3/P.O. Box 679 Machias, ME 04654 207-255-0983 rcs@ceimaine.org