Business

Busting Barriers

Partnership would launch entrepreneurship, small business support program at Fusion 54

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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Travis and Jami Harrington set up shop online.

The owners of Reclaimed by Grace started Facebook and Instagram shops for their custom-made wood and metal designs, while implementing safety measures for in-person shoppers.

With orders still coming in, the job board is full and Jami Harrington will open her new high-end women’s boutique, RBG Threads, inside the store on Saturday.

“We love our community and we are so glad that our business is here,” she said. “We say every single day we would not want this to be positioned anywhere else but Crawfordsville, Indiana.”

“We could do this anywhere,” Travis Harrington added, “but I don’t know that we could succeed anywhere. This has been a great place to be.”

As shops recover from the pandemic and aspiring business owners pursue their plans, a proposed partnership between the City of Crawfordsville and Montgomery County seeks to launch an entrepreneurship program and small business development and support services at Fusion 54.

“Some of the aspiring entrepreneurs … not all, but some, tend to not even start a business because there’s too many barriers that they just can’t overcome, so my goal at Fusion is to eliminate those barriers,” Fusion 54 director Jim Johnson said.

Johnson appeared before the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday asking for $15,000 to launch the program. Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton says the city will match the county’s funding.

The money will be used to license programs and pay course instructors, purchase supplies and software and market the programs. Fusion 54 received CARES Act funding through the Indiana Small Business Development Center to host a separate digital transformation course.

Courses would be offered on rebuilding businesses from the pandemic, along with workshops on starting businesses and one-on-one meetings for entrepreneurs.

Business owners can also receive support for social media and digital marketing, cybersecurity, e-commerce and online sales and finance.

The proposal comes amid ongoing efforts to attract more jobs to the county and help existing companies close skills gaps.

“Are you trying to draw business into this county with this program,” asked councilman Gary Booth, who asked whether the program would be open to surrounding counties.

Johnson said the program may draw interest from neighboring Fountain County and fits in to the bigger picture of growing the business sector.

“It shows that we support our entrepreneurs, we support our businesses,” he said.

Once funding is approved, the program may launch in mid-to-late April. Johnson is also considering creating a mentoring program for entrepreneurs.


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