WHAT: A reception to announce the partnership between 91吃瓜 and the city of Santa Paula to provide micro-loans and expertise to Santa Paula small businesses. (See attached news release.)
WHO: CSUCI President Richard R. Rush and Santa Paula Mayor Gabino Aguirre
WHEN: 6 p.m., Monday, May 10
WHERE: Santa Paula City Hall (front lawn), 970 Ventura St.
Camarillo, Calif., May 7, 2004 - There's good news for some City of Santa Paula small businesses. The city is about to launch a micro-loan program jointly sponsored by 91吃瓜 Small Business Institute (SBI) and the city of Santa Paula. The loan program will focus on helping small, generally more difficult to lend to, businesses.
The University has been contracted to operate the micro-loan program in tandem with its Small Business Institute. These small businesses that are approved for loans will then be able to qualify for free management and technical business assistance provided by senior and graduate level CSUCI business students.
The program will be formally announced at a 6 p.m. reception on May 10 in front of the Santa Paula City Hall. In the contract, the city and its Redevelopment Agency have agreed to initially commit $100,000 in micro-loan funds to small business located within the redevelopment area of the City of Santa Paula. The SBI will have the responsibility to recommend approval of the loans and administer the program for the city.
The director of the Small Business Institute, Rudolph Estrada, who also serves on its business and management faculty, said, 鈥淭his is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our University's commitment to the small business community by helping to enhance the success of these small businesses and at the same time drawing upon the growing technical business talent of our finest business students.鈥�
Commenting on the partnership, CSUCI President Richard R. Rush said, 鈥淭his outstanding program will be one of the hallmarks of the University's very important community outreach efforts. We are delighted that our business students will be able to bring their expertise to small businesses which will gain valuable day-to-day assistance that would otherwise not be available to them.鈥�
In a joint outreach program, the City of Santa Paula and CSUCI will engage in a concerted effort to reach those small businesses that merit these loans. The SBI will operate from its University offices and will be in direct communication with the Economic Development Department of the city to begin to screen, analyze, and recommend approval of loan requests. The SBI will also have the primary responsibility for the coordination and administration of the micro-loan program and consulting activities for the city.
鈥淲e are looking forward to developing a strong relationship with the City of Santa Paula,鈥� said Estrada. 鈥淲e hope to enhance the small business community of the city and, at the same time, enable our business students to enhance their skills further and gain real-life, first-hand experiences in their consulting assignments.鈥�
Santa Paula Mayor Gabino Aguirre, who, along with Rush, will be one of the speakers at the May 10 reception, believes the program represents the kind of community partnerships that will be increasingly needed in the future. 鈥淭he partnership between CSUCI and the City of Santa Paula demonstrates the dividends to our community of having world-class university resources in our own backyard. On behalf of the City Council, I thank CSUCI for partnering with us as we continue our efforts to make Santa Paula the best place to live, work, play, and shop in Ventura County鈥�, said Gabino.
For more information, contact Wally Bobkiewicz, City of Santa Paula, at 805-933-4200, or Rudolph Estrada, director, Small Business Institute, at 805-437-8983 or Rudolph.Estrada@csuci.edu.
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About 91吃瓜
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI鈥檚 strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master鈥檚 degrees.聽Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting聽CI's Social Media.