Upper Darby on Friday launched its Small Business Empowerment Hub, allocating $4.8 million for small businesses in the township.
An initiative of Upper Darby Community & Economic Development, the goal is to create and retain successful small businesses that contribute to a strong, stable, and inclusive local economy in Upper Darby.
Director of Community and Economic Development Rita LaRue said the funds will go to small businesses through technical assistance, small business grants and business corridor revitalization to repair signage and beautifying business areas.
The hub will provide expert support, business planning, financial systems, marketing sales, staffing operations and whatever businesses need to find success, she said.
The funds come from federal American Rescue Plan Act money that rolled over into capital funding. That move allowed the township to utilize the funds beyond the end of that program.
Township Chief Administrative Officer Crandall Jones said the funding is projected through the next three to five years and officials hope to find grant funding in the years beyond that.
LaRue said that despite being the sixth most-populous municipality in Pennsylvania, the township retains a small town feel.
“Upper Darby Township is a network of neighborhoods and our comprehensive plan calls for those neighborhoods to be connected with those vibrant business districts. They should go hand-in-hand, and in many cases they do,” LaRue said.
LaRue said the hub will provide important financial investment.
“You can give a small business owner all the tools, but without a little financial investment, it might be very hard to make it to that next level,” she said. “There will be investment for those small businesses: a facade repair, an industrial freezer can make all the difference for some of our businesses here in Upper Darby.”
Upper Darby officials are working with EQALL Business Solutions, which empowers business support organizations, economic development teams, and nonprofits.
Holly Burrow, founder of EQALL Business Solutions, which is partnering with the township in the Small Business Hub, said her workers will go into the community to see what small business owners might need. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
During Friday’s rollout of the Hub, Holly Burrow, founder of EQUALL, said small businesses are the cornerstones of communities. Her nonprofit is working with the township to build the hub and sending staff into the community.
Those representatives will ask small businesses owners what they need to thrive and how it can be done together with the township. She urged small businesses to partner with her team, and spread the word to other small businesses in the community.
Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown, center, casts a vision for the Small Business Hub. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown said he knows first hand how important small businesses are for jobs and investments in the community.
“Small businesses define who we are. They make Upper Darby a place where people want to live, shop and gather. They bring us together,” he said. “They need all kinds of support and that is the purpose of the hub.”
Brown asked small-business owners to take advantage of the hub with technical assistance, guidance in developing business plans, financial strategy support and marketing as well as establishing a strong digital presence as well as connecting with larger businesses.
Brown noted starting or maintaining a small business can be challenging with countless details, and the hub will support both aspiring entrepreneurs and those who have already chosen the township as their business home.
The mayor also read a proclamation designating every Feb. 20 as Small Business Empowerment Day in the township, in recognition of the importance of small businesses to the township.
Among the business owners on hand Friday was Buntina Conteh of Victory Accounting and Financial Services, which has four employees.
She said she was there to see what was being offered and how they could help other township businesses with services such as bookkeeping and accounting, and how they could render help to clients.
“We are here to see what opportunities, the different kinds of small businesses and how we can render help to them as well,” she said. “How we can pitch what we do, save money as well as be in full compliance of laws and regulations.”
Also attending were Georgia Galiatsatos and Nicole Linares, co-owners of GGs Treats Dessert at 6858 Marshall Road. They opened their bakery in November and said the township has been very helpful in getting started.
Nicole Linares and Georgia Galiatsatos are co-owners of GGs Treats Dessert at 6858 Marshall Road. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
Galiatsatos told those in attendance on Friday that it was a struggle to start but they formed a plan and have been successful getting the bakery, with a staff of five, up and running.
“I’m truly so happy to be part of the Upper Darby community. What makes this place special isn’t just the town itself, it’s the people, your kindness, support and the ways you show up for one another, something you don’t find everywhere,” she said.
Asked what motivated her to start the business she said, “It was something I was passionate about, I followed it and started it here.” “No. 1 seller is Biscoff cheesecake and banana pudding, pound cake, brownies, cookies … We do have a good variety of every kind of dessert.
Another small business owner on hand for the opening has a few more years experience.
Chris Polites of Polites Flowers has been on Garrett Road for 75 years, and is a third generation owner of the 117-year-old small business. He praised the efforts of the township to focus on small business.
Polites said a number of years ago people asked him if he was going to stay in Upper Darby.
“I decided to stay and it is the best decision I made,” he said as he handed out business cards to other business owners at the event. “The community has been wonderful.”
He said that in the last few years, and with the new administration, they have seen major improvements. He noted the improved trash clean up and removal of graffiti, though he would like to see more police walking the beat.
Polities Florist. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
“It’s a quality-of-life issue. It makes all the difference,” Polites said.
One critique he had was the mercantile tax, which he said requires a large amount of paperwork and he questions how much money it actually brings into township coffers.
“Other than that, I think the township is doing a great job, a big nut to crack but they are running in the right direction,” he said.