Loan Applicants–we are here to help! Please attend one of our upcoming Loan Sessions in Meriden on either July 14th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm or September 22nd at the same time!! Loan sessions assist potential borrowers to navigate the application process. The loan sessions are interactive and designed to answer questions and provide an opportunity to meet with lenders for personal assistance. If you are interested in applying for funds through CEDF in the coming months, you may want to sign up for a free session. Please email Marie Dumas at m.dumas@cedf.com to confirm your attendance. We hope to see you soon!

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CEDF is pleased to offer classes through its Small Business Training Institute in six locations throughout the state. Classes in Business Finance, Taxes and QuickBooks (QuickBooks Pro 2011 software included with class) will be held in Torrington, East Hartford, Norwich, Meriden, Bridgeport and Stamford beginning in early May. Small business owners or their staff can register online as of today by visiting the Training Institute page of our website or by calling CEDF at 203 235-2333. We hope to see you in class!

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Mayor Michael Pavia in conjunction with the national Small Business Week, May 16-20, is launching Small Business Advantage a series of information workshop sessions targeted to address the most important needs of small businesses. The series is the first initiative from a task force set up by Mayor Pavia to address the issues facing small businesses. “Stamford is home to many energetic start-ups and the global firms they often support. Small businesses have always been a foundation for Stamford’s economy with the creation of so many jobs over the years. I am thrilled to launch this series which will not only provide valuable information, but allow Stamford’s small business community to network and come to know each other better,” said Mayor Pavia.

All the workshops are free and open to the public. They will be held at the Stamford High School auditorium beginning 5:30 PM with networking and light refreshments followed by the program 6:30-8:00 PM.

The first session on Wednesday, May 18th – “How I Did It – From Start-Up to Success in Stamford” in the middle of national Small Business Week will feature a panel, lead by Mayor Pavia, of local small business owners from a variety of businesses:

Kristella Garcia – Stella’s Café and Bakery

Miguel Juarez – MJM Stone Supply

Regina Kirchbaum – Agabhumi, The Best of Bali

Courtney Nelthropp – Sir Speedy Printing & Marketing Services

 Bobby Valentine – Bobby Valentine’s Sport Gallery Café Restaurant

Four more workshops have been scheduled to address specific issues and challenges faced by small business owners: June 15th – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter – How to Choose, How to Use Social Media in Promoting Your Business; September 14th – High Impact Marketing: Capitalize on the Holiday Season and Beyond; October 12th – Business Plans – the Critical and Mandatory First Step: A Crash Course; November 16th – Money, Money, Money – Who Has it and How To Get It; Each of these four workshops will have an initial presentation followed by breakouts of more targeted discussions lead by subject matter experts. Participants will be asked to sign up on the City of Stamford’s website: www.ci.stamford.ct.us.

Small Business Advantage series is made possible through the support of: Law Offices of Frank Browne, Community Economic Development Fund, First County Bank, Stamford Bank & Trust, Stamford First Bank, Tasik Financial Strategies, and Women’s Business Development Council.

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Loan Applicants–we are here to help! Please attend our upcoming Loan Session in Meriden on May 19th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm!! Loan sessions assist potential borrowers to navigate the application process. The loan sessions are interactive and designed to answer questions and provide an opportunity to meet with lenders for personal assistance. Please email Marie Dumas at m.dumas@cedf.com to confirm your attendance. We hope to see you on the 19th!

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Loan Applicants–we are here to help! Please attend our upcoming Loan Session in Meriden on April 7th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm!! Loan sessions assist potential borrowers to navigate the application process. The loan sessions are interactive and designed to answer questions and provide an opportunity to meet with lenders for personal assistance. Please email Scott Arnold at s.arnold@cedf.com to confirm your attendance.

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Please join us in congratulating the following businesses:

Holly’s Oatmeal, Inc. , Torrington – Produces and distributes all natural high fiber specialty oatmeal.

SM Welch, Marlborough – A full service remodeling company.

Husky Wear, LLC, Tolland -Wholesale and retail sales of licensed UCONN merchandise.

Dr. Walt Auto, New Haven- Provides full auto repair services.

S&S Cleaning, Lisbon- Provides property maintenance and cleaning services.

We hope you will support these businesses and your local small businesses as needs arise. By doing so, you provide a much greater return to your local economy.

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Loan Applicants–we are here to help! Please attend our upcoming Loan Session in Bridgeport on March 16th from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon or in Meriden on February 24th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm!! Loan sessions assist potential borrowers to navigate the application process. The loan sessions are interactive and designed to answer questions and provide an opportunity to meet with lenders for personal assistance.

The Bridgeport session will be held at Aquarion Company, 835 Main Street in downtown Bridgeport across from People’s Bank headquarters. Free parking is available in the gated lot on the corner of Ceasar Batalla Way and Broad Street (please do not park in the garage attached to the building). The free lot is just behind the building.

The Meriden session will be held at CEDF’s headquarters, 965 East Main Street.

Additional sessions will be scheduled around the state in the coming weeks.

CEDF provides flexible financing and business support to small and micro-businesses whom may need funding for start-ups or existing businesses and cannot obtain the traditional bank financing.

The loan sessions will not include business plan development, however, resources will be shared for businesses in need of that assistance. Please contact Scott Arnold, Director of Lending at 203-235-2333 ext. 2020 to confirm your attendance

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