Governor’s Small Business Advocate’s AZ Service Provider Network hosted by MCbiz
On January 16, Kathy Rodriguez, Assistant Director, Small Business Services for the Arizona Department of Commerce spearheaded the meeting of the Arizona Service Provider Network at Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors Conference Room.
“MCbiz and its sister agencies (Maricopa Workforce Connections and the Maricopa County Library District) provided useful information to the network,” said Kathy Rodriguez.
The network’s members include public, community, private, and governmental entities, which serve the business community. Members have agreed to continue supporting each other’s organizations, serving businesses and niche markets, increasing opportunities for SBE, M/WBE & DBE firms, and maximizing the visibility of their organizations and services.
“Maricopa Workforce Connections (MWC) provides many services to the business community through its two major One-Stop Centers,” said Ron Bajda, Business Account Representative/MWC. In addition, Ron said that employers may conduct on-site recruitments at the MWC West Valley Career Center , 1840 N. 95th Ave., Ste. 160, Phoenix, AZ 85037 (at I-10 and Loop 101) or MWC East Valley Career Center, 735 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert (at Guadalupe and Gilbert Road ). Each Center is equipped with a Business Services Center that offers employers meeting space, office equipment, interview rooms, and other resources to enhance recruiting and hiring experiences. Check out their website at: http://maricopaworkforceconnection.com/business/businessservices.asp
“The Library District subscribes to premium databases and provides them free to its customers,” noted Marshall Shore, Adult Services Coordinator, Maricopa County Library District. He described how small businesses can easily access the following databases plus more:
Business & Company Resource Center
A fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals.
InfoTrac OneFile
A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics including: business, computers, economics, law, technology, and many general interest topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. Updated daily.
Morningstar
Provides data on nearly 1-million securities worldwide
America's Newspapers: The Ultimate Newspaper Archive
Provides full-text articles from the electronic editions for more than 600 U.S. newspapers - all in one easy-to-search database.
Business & Investment Web Sites - Click on Selected Web Sites on Library’s home page, and then click on “Business & Investment” to see the list of Web sites selected, reviewed and approved by librarians. Check out their website: www. WWW.MCLDAZ.ORG
MCbiz - Maricopa County’s Small Business Enterprise Program is charged with promoting the growth of the small business community and facilitating procurement activity. For more information visit its website: www.maricopa.gov/mcbiz or by calling 602-50MCbiz (602-506-2249).