Business Outreach and Assistance Program

Accelerating Opportunities for Existing Businesses by Connecting Firms to Resources

The LCIC and our partners are accelerating opportunities for existing businesses through our Business Outreach and Assistance Program (BOAP).  Existing businesses create approximately eighty percent (80%) of the jobs in our community, but they are frequently overshadowed by efforts to attract or create new businesses.  The primary goal of the BOAP is to identify the needs of individual businesses and connect those opportunities for assistance with existing economic development programs.  We make these connections through a managed referral process, coordinated by LCIC staff.  The managed referral process ensures that the follow up items are performed in a thorough and timely manner.

The foundations of the BOAP are:

1. Scheduling consultation visits with the principals and senior managers of local businesses;
2. Conducting consultation visits with the principals and senior managers of local firms;
3. Connecting opportunities for business assistance with existing economic development programs and other resources;
4. Coordinating and tracking the business assistance;
5. Following up with the firms seeking assistance; and
6. Quantifying the unmet demand for business assistance resources and pursuing additional resources.

The BOAP helps local businesses find capital for new equipment and plant expansion, obtain funds for training new and existing workers, navigate the business regulatory and permitting process, obtain managerial expertise on cash management and marketing, and facilitate enhanced public utility services.

A strong local economic development system in which the City of Toledo, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce (SBDC and EPIC), Lucas County Workforce Development Agency, Regional Growth Partnership, First Energy, University of Toledo, Downtown Toledo Improvement District, State of Ohio, and others have well-defined roles and collaborate for the good of the greater community makes the BOAP possible.  These partners provide the direct economic development assistance to the firms contacted through the BOAP.  In addition, a representative from one or more of these partners frequently accompanies the LCIC staff on each BOAP consultation visit.

The LCIC is stimulating economic growth by connecting business opportunities to public/private sector resources.  This is just one way Northwest Ohio accelerates business opportunities in the New Manufacturing Economy.

You can download a copy of our brochure by clicking here. If your business would like to schedule a BOAP consultation visit, click here.