Allen County was asked to join QUAD, a consortium of counties whose original mission was to nurture fledgling and expanding small businesses.
Woodson and Chautauqua counties are charter members of the foursome and remain in the effort that began in 2002. Elk and Greenwood counties have since dropped out because of tight budgets as have Wilson and Cowley counties, which joined and then dropped out.
What Allen County would gain, said Jack Newcomb, QUAD director, is his expertise in coaching and promoting small business owners. He led a delegation of volunteers that gave commissioners a 30-minute tutorial on the organization.
Funding comes from a dollar for each person in counties served. Today that means an income of about $7,000 from Woodson and Chautauqua counties. With its population, Allen County dues would be slightly more than $13,000. Additional financing is provided by some cities in affected counties, grants and private contributions.
But, Newcomb said, the point isn’t to build a war chest, rather to provide assistance that small business owners in rural areas are reluctant to seek on their own. He works on-call for time and travel expenses and one-on-one with those who need a kick-start.
He gets to know his clients from more than a cursory perspective, which fosters a good trusting relationship, Newcomb said.
Since he came aboard soon after QUAD founded, Newcomb said he had dealt with 573 clients and helped to create 125 businesses that had generated 359 new jobs.
The one-on-one approach is important, he said, because having a second set of eyes on a proposal often finds flaws the principle party’s enthusiasm causes him or her to overlook. To wit: If a person wanted to start a restaurant in an area where several offering the same fare already were operating, it would be better to look elsewhere or have a change in approach.
“It’s critical to get the right resources and people in place at the start, and it’s also important to weed out the ones on the front end that are iffy,” he said. “Sometimes you have to realize there may be a better use for your money instead of opening a business that is at risk of going broke.”
His approach is based on analysis of product or service, predictable market share and financial management.
“I help people work through these issues and find resources,” he said.
“I’ve watched it work in Woodson County,” said Shelia Lampe, a volunteer.
“We’ve always been interested” in adding Allen County to the fold, said Ben Allen, QUAD president from Chautauqua County.
ALLEN COUNTY commissioners didn’t leap aboard, but did express interest.
“We get lots of requests” for financial assistance of all sorts, said Commissioner Dick Works, including local groups that have proposed, as recently as this spring, plans for concerted economic development efforts.
Commissioners did not say if or when they might decide whether to become a QUAD member.
