Business diversity group looks to get traction

A group of northern Nevada business leaders sees a need to help would-be small entrepreneurs particularly those from minority groups get started with the creation of new companies.

But despite the business leaders' good intentions at building diversity in the business community, they find themselves going in circles as they try to develop an effective strategy.

They're hoping they can stop spinning and instead begin traveling in a straight line after a session this week.

The effort began about six months ago.

Len Stevens, executive director of the Sparks Chamber of Commerce,was visiting with a couple of minority-group entrepreneurs who laid out the challenges they were facing - everything from understanding the regulatory culture to getting financing.

Offering to help, Stevens soon discovered that while services for entrepreneurs are available from a number of agencies, they're scattered.

"We recognized that there is a lot of this work going on, but there doesn't seem to be a centralized place to get help," he said last week.

Stevens gathered an ever-growing group of organizations that provide help for start-up businesses and minority-owned businesses the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Northern Nevada, the Nevada Microenteprise Initiative, the Nevada Small Business Development Center and so on.

Executives of the groups agree that it's not easy for entrepreneurs to get the services they need.But they don't know what to do to alleviate the situation.

"We've gone in circles," acknowledged Stevens.

Enter Charles Schwab Bank.Nancy Muniz, the bank's community development manager, offered to pay for a facilitator to get the process unstuck.

And so Catherine Marshall, the chief executive officer of the Oakland-based California Association for Microenterprise Opportunity, will be in town on Wednesday to get things moving.

But Marshall was quick to note that she doesn't have the answers.

"It is not our intention to come in and say, 'This is how you do it,'" she said."Every community is different.You have to pay attention to what's going on in your community."

Her role,Marshall said,will include identifying the resources that are available in northern Nevada and show how other communities have come to grips with the issue.

Stevens said groups ranging from chambers of commerce to Hispanic and generalinterest media have been invited to Wednesday's session, and it's open to anyone who wants to participate.

"We want to do it for anyone who needs it.

We want to provide something that is worthwhile not only for minorities in business, but anyone," he said.

The discussion runs from 2-5 p.m.

at the Boys and Girls Club of the Truckee Meadows at 2680 E.

9th St.

Call the Sparks chamber at 358- 1976 to let them know you're coming.