Group seeks to link businesses with trainers and consultants

A new nonprofit scheduled to launch early next year will seek to link businesses with qualified academics and private training companies.

The key phrase, says training consultant Tom Taormina of Virginia City, is "qualified."

"We've discovered entrepreneurs and business owners don't want to buy three-letter acronyms of motivational hype," he said last week."They want to buy solutions to their problems."

At the same time, Taormina said the state's colleges and universities haven't been successful in delivering anything beyond basic and start-up business information to the private sector.

The Center for Business Excellence will screen academic and private business consultants and trainers, operate a search engine for companies to find the help they need and provide assistance to regional economic development agencies such as the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.

Participating companies will pay $450 to $7,500 for the center's services,with discounts available to members of economic development agencies.

Taormina said the nonprofit's founding advisors,who include State Sen.

Randolph Townsend and Mike Reed, dean of the University of Nevada, Reno, business school, believe that the availability of high-quality training and consulting services is an important factor in attracting technology and other high-wage companies to the region.

Reed said last week that organizers of the Center for Business Excellence needs to ensure that the nonprofit also takes advantage of traditional social networks such as chambers of commerce that are commonly used by business owners to find sources of information.

The new organization is putting together its board of directors and plans to begin soliciting members in November, Taormina said.

It hopes to roll out its first services in January.

A temporary Web site for the center is at consultpr.com/CBE.htm.