Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

HAMILTON — The BizTech Center will celebrate its five-year anniversary Thursday, Nov. 20, with an open house as part of the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce's monthly Business After Hours event.

The event will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the BizTech Center, 20 High St.

The center, Butler County's small business incubator and home of the Ohio Small Business Development Center, has helped nearly 40 start-up businesses receive training, mentoring, resources and office space at a reduced cost. These new businesses have created 150 jobs and about $3.8 million in payroll in the greater Hamilton area, said Marilyn Collmer, BizTech manager and business consultant.

"We have accomplished what many people thought could not be done — we have established a competitive program and created a central business address for new businesses to call home," she said.

As part of the celebration, the center will reveal its five-year agenda to upgrade its facility and program offerings to entice more technology-oriented businesses, Collmer said.

One of those new programs is SmartStart, set to launch in the first quarter 2009. It will offer a nonacademic certification to help entrepreneurs streamline the startup process, she said. Many upgraded workshops and technology primers will be delivered online to teach businesses the basic skills they need to be successful.

Upgrades to the center include offering Wi-Fi and new training and conference equipment.

For more information about the BizTech center, visit biztechcenter.com.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.