BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The grant will fund a comprehensive course aimed at helping immigrant entrepreneurs start or grow their businesses.
- Kern County received a grant from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
- The grant will be used for the Local Immigrant Integration and Inclusion Grant (LIIIG).
- The grant aims to support immigrant entrepreneurs in starting or growing their businesses.
- A comprehensive course will be implemented to assist immigrant entrepreneurs.
- The initiative focuses on economic development and business growth for immigrants.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Many immigrant entrepreneurs have a business idea but may not know where to start. Kern County just received a grant to provide courses to help immigrant entrepreneurs turn those ideas into reality.
The Immigrant Integration and Inclusion Grant is from the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.This grant will fund the county's Pathway to Prosperity Program, which is a two-semester course for immigrant entrepreneurs to start or grow their businesses.
Brigett Guzman, is the Economic Development Analyst for Kern County Administrative Office, and she says "Approximately 84% of businesses in Kern County are micro-businesses, meaning they have approximately 10 employees or less. Entrepreneurialism in Kern County is a major aspect of our economy, and we’re focusing on improving entrepreneurialism and allowing our economy to continue being diverse."
Dr. Carlos Alvarez is from Mexico. He moved here when he was nine years old and was once a farm worker. He eventually went to college and became a physician.His business, Alvarez Healthcare, has been in practice for 38 years, and he says one of his specialties is healthcare for agricultural workers.
“Why is it important to our county to have immigrant business owners?”“Because this county is an agricultural county, and who does most of the agricultural work? Farm workers. So, as we are here as business owners, and we come from other countries, it doesn’t matter what country, we work hard.” Dr. Carlos Alvarez said.
According to Ms. Guzman, she says that in Kern County, 20% of our residents are immigrants. Of that 20%, approximately 3-4% of our businesses are immigrant-owned, and they want to see that number increase.
“Our program focuses more on immigrant entrepreneurs, however, we encourage all interested individuals to contact our office to see if they would be a good fit for this program. If not, we’ll redirect them to other resources that we offer.” Ms. Guzman said.
In the upcoming classes, Ms. Guzman says you can expect to learn everything from business startup to business growth and sustainability, one-on-one business consulting, and other essential skills.
You can join the class by calling (661) 868-3103 or emailing caomailbox@kerncounty.com.
The first class starts on January 22nd, but they will be accepting participants on an ongoing basis.
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