-Submitted by Betty Gray
The Small Business Center at Beaufort County Community College and its Director, Lentz Stowe, were cited at a recent conference in Asheville for the boost a newly-opened business has given its community.

Stowe received the Business Success Story – Impact Award from the North Carolina Community College System Small Business Center Network for his work with Main Street Eatery, a restaurant that opened in Creswell earlier this year.

Through counseling and support provided by the BCCC Small Business Center, Sharon and Billy Maitland secured a building re-use grant and opened their restaurant employing 11 people in the eastern Washington County town.

“BCCC is proud of Lentz and our Small Business Center and the work it has done in helping local businesses open and thrive,” said college President Barbara Tansey. “The Small Business Center plays an important role in the economic development of the region and I am pleased that its work has been recognized by the network.”

Stowe, 52, a native of Washington, has served as Director of BCCC’s Business and Industry Services since 2003. Stowe is a 1979 graduate of Washington High School and earned bachelor’s degrees in business management and in economics from North Carolina State University in 1983. Before joining the BCCC staff, Stowe was employed as plant manager/director of operations for Cox Target Media/Donnelley Marketing.  Stowe and his wife, Tricia, have two daughters, Hayley and Erin.

Business and Industry Services includes the Small Business Center, which provides counseling and workshops for prospective and current business owners, and the Customized Training Program, which offers workforce training opportunities to local industries operating or re-locating to the region.

The BCCC Small Business Center is one of 58 across North Carolina that in 2012-2013 provided entrepreneurship seminars and/or counseling to more than 50,000 individuals, resulting in 528 business start-ups and 2,967 jobs created or retained.

“Our Small Business Center Network provides a tremendous service to the communities our colleges serve,” says NC Community College System President, Dr. Scott Ralls.  “Through the education, support and resources these centers provide, entrepreneurs are starting locally-owned businesses, providing employment opportunities and positively impacting the state’s economic growth.”

For more information about BCCC’s Business and Industry Services, including seminars for current and prospective business owners, contact Stowe at 252-940-6306 or by email at lentzs@beaufortccc.edu or Lauren Spruill, Customized Training coordinator, at 252-940-6311 or laurens@beaufortccc.edu . Information about upcoming workshops is available on the BCCC website at http://www.beaufortccc.edu/coned/Small%20Business/workshops.htm.