Center Gets $5,000 to Aid Small Businesses

The North Los Angeles Small Business Development Center of Van Nuys has received a $5,000 grant to help individuals start or expand their businesses.

The Community Catalyst Award from Bank of America is issued on a weekly basis to Los Angeles County nonprofit agencies that promote education, job training, child care or affordable housing.

The bank, which began the pilot program in February, has distributed 38 awards and plans to distribute 14 more.

The Van Nuys agency is part of a statewide network of small business centers supported by the federal Small Business Administration and the California Trade and Commerce Agency.

Since 1991, the center has assisted small businesses in promoting job creation and retention programs. The center also offers consulting and training services along with access to computers and a reference library.

The business center has aided more than 1,000 clients since the beginning of 1997, many of them women and minorities applying to pre-qualify for SBA loans, according to Brandy Mittleider, marketing director for the North Los Angeles Small Business Development Center.

Last year, 33 loans totaling $4 million were approved through the center, and so far this year it has helped with 29 loans totaling about $2 million, Mittleider said.

Other groups in the Valley that have received a Community Catalyst Award include the San Fernando Valley Girl Scout Council, San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, Meet Each Need With Dignity in Pacoima and Dress-4-Success in North Hollywood, a group that supplies clothes for low-income individuals seeking employment.