Consulting assistance and educational services for area businesses will continue thanks to the generosity of the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation.
 
On Thursday, the Chamber presented a check for $6,000 to officials at Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte.
 
The money will be used to support the Nebraska Business Development Center office located within the college’s Mid-Plains Center for Enterprise.
 
“We’re very appreciative of the Chamber’s contribution,” said MPCC President Ryan Purdy. “They gave $16,000 that first year to help us open the doors on the NBDC office. The fact that they have contributed again shows they continue to see the value in it.”
 
The North Platte NBDC office has provided assistance to more than 80 clients since 2014.  Those clients received help with business plans, financial projections, general business consulting and loan packaging. They were approved for more than $8.2 million in total investments, which created more than 75 jobs.
 
The NBDC provides general services at no cost. All services are confidential and impartial.
 
“The North Platte Chamber and Development board of directors recognizes the need for good, sound business planning for new and expanding companies,” said Gary Person, president and CEO of the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation. “It’s the most critical aspect of starting your business off on the right foot, as well as analyzing if it is good timing for expansion.”
 
He believes succession planning is crucial in keeping long-established businesses in the area. 
 
“The Nebraska Business Development Center has established a reputation across Nebraska as an entity that can provide these services, and thanks to Mid Plains Community College, those efforts have continued in recent years here in North Platte,” said Person. “To further solidify this service remains viable, the Chamber and Development board committed additional funding so that a full-time position can be maintained in North Platte. We look forward to continuing to partner with NBDC and Mid-Plains on future community and economic development efforts.”
 
Charlie McPherson, area NBDC coordinator, expressed his appreciation for the donation.
 
“I want to thank the North Platte Chamber and Development board of directors and President/CEO Gary Person for their generous donation to the North Platte NBDC Center at MPCC,” McPherson said. “It will allow me to continue to serve NBDC’s mission of ‘Helping good businesses become better’ in North Platte. It will also allow me to travel to surrounding communities and MPCC extended campus locations in Imperial, Ogallala, Broken Bow and Valentine to continue to work with existing clients and draw in new ones that may need additional assistance to get their business off the ground or to expand.”
 
NBDC is a cooperative program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the College of Business Administration of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and MPCC. It has offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Wayne, Grand Island, Kearney, North Platte, Chadron and Scottsbluff.
 
NBDC’s Small Business Development Center program provides direct management and technical assistance to more than 2,000 businesses throughout the state every year. Among other things, the NBDC helps businesses build three-year financial forecasts, conduct basic market research, grow and create new jobs.
 
More information about the NBDC, and its offerings is available by calling (308) 535-3661, emailing mcphersonc@mpcc.edu. or visiting the office at 1101 Halligan Drive, Room 102, North Platte, NE 69101. The website is http://nbdc.unomaha.edu.