The Economic Development Policy Committee, co-chaired by the Honorable Steve Craig, Commissioner of Lawrence County, and Mr. Richard Taylor, CEO of ImbuTec, met in 2017 and determined that a critical issue facing communities was the lack of support for small business development and growth, especially in distressed areas. As a result, the committee commissioned a study to examine the support provided to small businesses in Pennsylvania, and particularly in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Institute is currently benchmarking programs related to small business development from across the country. The Institute has begun conducting interviews with those engaged in small business development in the region to better understand the issue and inform the white paper on national best practices currently in development. This work will continue into summer 2018.