The Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Center II
BRIEF HISTORY
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Empowerment Center II (MLK-BEC II) is an offshoot of the Martin Luther King Jr. Business Empowerment Center (MLKJ-BEC), Worcester, Massachusetts. The MLKJ-BEC is an economic development enterprise whose vision is a prosperous society composed of all its citizens participating in a global marketplace without the need for legislation and without regard to race, creed, color, sexual orientation or gender. Its mission is helping to provide a better quality of life through business development, incubation, culturally sensitive education and training in the underserved community. The MLKJ-BEC was incorporated in the state of Massachusetts in March in 1994 as a non-profit with a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt status. Since 1998 when the MLKJ-BEC moved into its own facility at 237 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA, it has assisted 3,244 businesses, help to create 269 businesses, assisted 45 to locate funding amounting to $6,161,500 and incubated 56 with a success rate of 87%. It has also assisted 1,818 job applicants, trained 700 and secured employment for 488 individuals. An economic impact study conducted by Dr. Frank Puffer, a Professor of Economics at Clark University; Worcester, MA indicated that over a period of 12 months, MLKJ-BEC has a $17 & $20 million economic impact on the City of Worcester and state of Massachusetts respectively.
WHY NEW BRITAIN?
With the level of success and impact the MLKJ-BEC has had over the years, the MLKJ-BEC has received a deluge of requests to replicate the services in several cities in New England.. Out of these requests, the board and management decided to consider opening the first branch in New Britain, Connecticut because it has similar characteristics and demographics as Worcester. It is centrally located in the state of Connecticut as Worcester is in Massachusetts. It does not have big companies, which means that small and micro businesses will thrive to become the main employers of labor. The city is close to Hartford, the state capital. Also, it has a large minority population and above all, there is no one stop-shop that combines business development, business incubation, job training and job placement like ours. There is no incubation facility specifically geared for minorities and micro businesses in New Britain and the state of Connecticut.
THE NEW BRITAIN MODEL
The MLK, Jr. Business Center II in New Britain, Ct is in Connecticut Business Park located at 321 Ellis Street, immediately off exits 25 inter change CT Route 9. It has an area of 70,000 square feet that is most ideal for industrial, small, micro, start-ups and light manufacturing businesses. It is a place where businesses are conceived, started, nurtured and expanded. We provide free on-site counseling, along with training courses and workshops. We have resources for addressing a broad range of business start-ups and development issues. We can provide you with the tools and advice necessary to help you write a comprehensive business plan, evaluate and improve your marketing and sales techniques. Also we can help you diversify into new product and /or service areas and price your products. We provide research tools and invaluable advice that can help your new business get off the ground or help your existing business grow. We will not only help you with the above, but will also link you to funds needed to start your business. Our incubator facility is affordable and the program offers you the following shared resources: 24 hours access to the facility, copier, fax machine and conference rooms. Lighted parking, some administrative support services, utilities, furniture, business library, Internet service, kitchen and security. Each incubator tenant will have access to the management team. We also encourage established businesses to relocate to our incubator.
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