For additional information, please contact:
Benjamin Lamb
1Berkshire Director of Economic Development
blamb@1berkshire.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2021 – Berkshire County, MA – 1Berkshire, in partnership with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and with support from the United States Economic Development Administration, is excited to announce the launch and the opening of registration for its first round of small business and organization technical assistance cohorts.
With five exciting experts as technical assistance providers, this initial round of seven cohorts looks to support up to 49 small businesses and organizations over the course of the fall of 2021. Each individual cohort will be limited to seven participating businesses/organizations and will kick off with a required two-hour workshop. Following the workshop, participants in each cohort will be given materials to complete before then receiving up to two hours of additional free one-on-one technical assistance from our expert resource providers.
Cohorts being provided for Fall 2021 include:
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Starting October 6th – Get Ready to Get Funded, with Robin Helfand
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Starting October 13th – Employee Engagement & Retention, with Karen Carswell & Lucy Steinert
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Starting October 20th – Essentials of Digital Marketing, with Francesca Olsen
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Starting October 28th – Don’t Just Stand Up, Stand Out! with Carolyn Blitz *non-profits only*
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Starting November 4th – Get Ready to Get Funded, with Robin Helfand
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Starting November 10th – Employee Engagement & Retention, with Karen Carswell & Lucy Steinert
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Starting December 1st – Essentials of Digital Marketing, with Francesca Olsen
These technical assistance workshops are completely free to participating businesses and organizations, but registration is considered a commitment to fully participate in the entirety of the process, from kick-off, to independent prep work, to direct technical assistance and follow-up assessment. To register for one of the cohorts, small businesses and non-profit organizations in the Berkshires should go to 1berkshire.com/berkshire-
As part of the Berkshire Economic Recovery Project, this is the first of a multiple series of technical assistance cohorts that will be conducted over the next 18 months. Ben Lamb, 1Berkshire Director of Economic Development notes, “This is a benchmark moment when we are able to launch an entirely new set of resources to support businesses and organizations in a way they have directly told us they need,” he adds “we are fortunate to have such a tremendous array of technical assistance providers committing to this project, and look forward to seeing the impact their expertise will have.”
Registration will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis and is open immediately for all cohort sections. Once filled, registration will cease; however, interested individuals may request to be added to a waitlist. For additional information please contact the 1Berkshire Economic Development team at economicdev@1berkshire.com.
About 1Berkshire
1Berkshire is a county-wide organization focused on economic development and promotion of the region as a preferred place to visit, to live, and to grow a business. It provides programs that connect businesses with each other and with potential customers and works to develop future leaders and support entrepreneurs. For more information, visit 1Berkshire.com.
About Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is the regional planning agency for Berkshire County, Massachusetts. BRPC assists the thirty-two Berkshire cities and towns in a diverse set of topics including community and economic development, community planning, data and information services, emergency preparedness planning, environmental and energy planning, regional services, public health and transportation planning. BRPC promotes regional collaboration among communities and works to increase coordination between all levels of government.
