Toledoans love to shop and support local. From Fortune 500 Companies to historical small business legacies, the Toledo Region has a wealth of businesses that originated in our back yard. In honor of National Small Business week, we’d like to highlight a few of the groups and organizations in our area that know It Matters Where You Make It ® and dedicate their days to helping small businesses succeed.
- Toledo Small Business Development Center
First on our list is the Toledo SBDC, housed at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. Offering no-cost business consulting to entrepreneurs in all phases of the business life-cycle, the SBDC helped create 503 jobs, retain 1,204 jobs, and obtain $25 million in loans and other capital for small businesses in our community in 2016. - LaunchPad Incubation
Housed at The University of Toledo, LaunchPad Incubation provides entrepreneurs with the facilities and resources they need to get started. - Toledo Farmers’ Market
The downtown Toledo Farmers’ Market is open year-round, and offers local vendors, artisans and entrepreneurs the opportunity to come together to sell their products. - Center for Innovative Food Technology
The kitchen incubator at CIFT works with small and startup companies to provide resources, product development guidelines and more. - Minority Business Development Center
Also housed at The University of Toledo, the mission of this group is to provide entrepreneurial advice and assistance for minority-owned, early-stage firms. - Mad Ave Collective
The Collective brings together freelance creatives with seasoned, award-winning professionals to provide creative services to nonprofits. - Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority
With multiple community programs and grant opportunities, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority helps connect and finance small businesses in the community. Through their partnership with ECDI, the Port Authority is able to offer the Toledo Microenterprise Development Initiative which can provide access to capital and technical assistance to start-up and existing ventures. - Regional Growth Partnership
The RGP offers a full range of traditional business development services, and works closely with partners across the region to transform the economy of the Toledo Region. - Toledo Community Foundation
The Toledo Community Foundation informs and educates individuals, families, businesses and nonprofit organizations about community issues and grant making opportunities. - Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
LISC is a Community Development Financial Institution and offers financing during all stages of projects. - Northwest Ohio SCORE
Serving 13 counties, SCORE advisors are experts who provide confidential business consulting for entrepreneurs. - Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
The library’s Business Technology Department offers many free resources to help start-ups launch their business. - Downtown Toledo Development Corporation (DTDC)
DTDC helps bring the public and private sector together to revitalize the heart of Downtown Toledo. - Downtown Toledo Improvement District
DTID works with downtown property owners and small businesses to provide maintenance, safety, marketing and economic development services. - Village on Adams
The Village on Adams is a group of businesses on Adams Street committed to making the street safe and prosperous by planning events, overseeing murals, and working with new and existing businesses. - Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce
The TRCC hosts the Toledo Small Business Development Center, Ohio SBDC Export Assistance Network, and the Toledo Area Small Business Association. In addition to these organizations, our staff provides many resources to help your business succeed.
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