Partnership to aid small businesses in Herkimer County

The Adirondack Economic Development Corporation has announced a new partnership to benefit small businesses in Herkimer County.

The AEDC will provide focused business counseling at no cost to existing and start-up businesses in the northern part of Herkimer County. The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency developed the partnership, bringing in LivingADK as a key local resource.

“AEDC is excited to partner with these two great organizations to serve the small business needs in northern Herkimer County,” the agency said in a statement. “The area has tremendous resources as well as the constraints of many of our rural communities. We look forward to putting our team’s expertise to use in assisting the entrepreneurs and existing businesses of the area.”

AEDC has more than 40 years of experience serving the greater North Country’s small businesses. One of its key services is one-on-one business counseling offered by two fulltime professional counselors with decades of experience, the statement said, adding counseling will be offered through a virtual platform with the ability to schedule in-person work by appointment.

As a New York State-designated Entrepreneurship Assistance Center, AEDC offers these services at no cost to its clients. The organization also offers one-on-one service in adult financial empowerment training, pandemic recovery grant assistance, and certification assistance with the NY Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise Program (M/WBE).

The AEDC is a federal Department of Treasury-designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with a mission to serve economically and socially disadvantaged entrepreneurs. The organization also provides regular web-based group business training and manages seven small business loan funds for the provision of capital to new and expanding businesses.

“The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) is excited to support this project and work with AEDC and LivingADK,” said John J. Piseck, Jr., CEO of the Herkimer County IDA. “The HCIDA is always available to assist small businesses in Herkimer County. Our mission is to deliver economic incentives to businesses and industries to diversify and strengthen Herkimer County’s tax base and enhance community vitality by supporting job creation, business and industrial development, and community revitalization”.

“One of LivingADK’s mission points is to support sustainable communities which include healthy economic development,” added Robin Hill, executive director of LivingADK. “By collaborating with the AEDC and Herkimer County IDA, we are helping to facilitate access to these wonderful resources benefiting our business communities and budding entrepreneurs within the central Adirondacks.”

Any businesses or entrepreneurs interested in receiving business counseling or other assistance from AEDC should contact Stephanie Donaldson at sdonaldson@aedconline. com or 518-891-5523. For more about AEDC and its services, visit www.aedconline.com.

The mission of AEDC is to advance economic opportunity in North Country communities through support for existing and new small businesses. The organization serves a 14-county area across northern New York, encompassing Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Oswego, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties.