Gold Coast Business Center Expands Services

The Gold Coast Small Business Development Center in Ventura has added two new business consultants and is offering evening consulting services.

The SBDC program, funded by the California Trade and Commerce Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration, was established to help small businesses accelerate their growth.

Services at the center include free professional one-on-one business consulting, low-cost training and seminars on a variety of topics, support groups for service professionals and home-based businesses, loans of up to $250,000 through the SBA’s minority and women prequalification loan programs and free access to business information through books, publications, videos and computers.

“There is often an incorrect notion that it is only when a business is having problems that consulting services or advanced training are needed,” said Joseph Huggins, manager of the Gold Coast center. “Oftentimes, businesses wait until the last moment of despair before they come to us and by this time, there’s nothing we can do. . . . Business owners need to realize that it is when they are experiencing fast growth that our services matter the most.”

The center is at 5700 Ralston St., Suite 310, Ventura.