Business Counseling Centers Open to Help Gustav-affected Businesses
12 September 2008
Businesses adversely affected by Hurricane Gustav can find free "one-stop" assistance at five Business Counseling Centers located in Baton Rouge, Metairie, Thibodaux, Alexandria, and Carenco. The Business Counseling Centers specifically target businesses and are not associated with FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers.
Business owners looking for assistance with SBA disaster loans, assessing business economic injury, evaluating the business's strength, cash flow projections and reviewing all financial options can find answers at the Business Counseling Centers, coordinated by Louisiana Economic Development (LED). The centers will be manned by specialists from U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC), and other regional economic development partners. Business Counseling Centers will be open Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm at the following locations:
Louisiana Technology Park, LLC
7117 Florida Boulevard
Baton Rouge, La. 70806
225.218.1100
Staffed by SBA, LSBDC & Lousiana Business & Technology Center (LBTC)
LSBDC-Greater New Orleans Region
UNO Jefferson Center
3330 N. Causeway, Suite 422
Metairie, La. 70002
504.831.3730
Staffed by SBA, LSBDC & Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO)
South Louisiana Economic Business Assistance Center
629 East First St.
Thibodaux, La. 70301
985.446.6023
Staffed by SBA, LSBDC & South Louisiana Economic Council (SLEC)
additional expertise provided by South Central Planning & Development Commission (SCPDC)
LSBDC at Alexandria
Dunbar Plaza, Suite 114
3600 Jackson Street Extension
Alexandria, La. 71303
Staffed by SBA and LSBDC consultants
Enterprise Center of Louisiana
3419 N.W. Evangeline Thruway
Carencro, La. 70520-9000
337.896.9115
Staffed by SBA & LSBDC consultants
Additionally, LSBDC will partner will Seedco Financial to offer specialized technical assistance to fisheries at:
The Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center
212 Avenue G (near the Belle Chasse Ferry)
Belle Chasse, LA 70037
504.392.2454 or 504.520.5727
(Mondays-Fridays, 10 am-4 pm)
Businesses can also go to any LSBDC Regional Service Center, which can be found on www.lsbdc.org for Hurricane Gustav assistance.
SBA disaster loans currently are one of the primary sources of federal money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster damaged private property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339) or log onto www.sba.gov or visit one of the Business Counseling Centers.
