Columbia County business owners have a free opportunity coming up just down the road.
Florida’s Rural Business Resource Tour makes its 11th stop on Friday, August 7, at the Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative in Live Oak. The event serves Columbia, Suwannee, and Hamilton counties, and it is free to attend.
What the Tour Is
Florida’s Rural Business Resource Tour is a year-long, multi-county initiative co-hosted by FloridaCommerce and the Florida SBDC Network. The idea is simple: instead of asking rural business owners to chase down assistance programs scattered across agencies and cities, the tour brings federal, state, and local resources together under one roof for a single day.
Think of it as a traveling resource fair built specifically for rural entrepreneurs. Every stop is designed around the businesses in that region, whether they are pre-launch, newly opened, or looking for the next phase of growth.
What to Expect
Attendees will be able to:
- Meet one-on-one with federal, state, and local business support organizations
- Sit down with Florida SBDC consultants for individual guidance
- Attend workshops
- Network with fellow business owners and community leaders from across the region
If you have ever wondered what grant programs, lending options, certification pathways, or technical assistance you might qualify for, this is the fastest way to get answers from the people who actually administer them.
Why Columbia County Businesses Should Go
Live Oak is a short drive west of Lake City, which makes this one of the most accessible statewide business events our county will see this year. Columbia County is specifically named in the service area for this stop, so the agencies on site will be prepared to talk about programs available to businesses here.
Rural small businesses drive employment, tax base, and community identity across North Florida. Events like this one exist to make sure those businesses are not left out of the support systems available to their metro counterparts.
Event Details
Date: Friday, August 7 Location: Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, Live Oak, FL Cost: Free Serving: Columbia, Suwannee, and Hamilton counties
Registration and additional details are available at FloridaSBDC.org/ruraltour.
Questions
For questions about the tour or about partnering with it, contact Emily Hetherington at Emily.Hetherington@commerce.fl.gov or Beverly Byerts at bbyerts@uwf.edu.
The Columbia County Economic Development Department is glad to help connect local businesses with opportunities like this one. If you plan to attend and want to talk through what you should be asking about while you are there, reach out to our office.
