SARANAC LAKE — North Country small business owners and staff will be able to take advantage of a wide array of trainings and services in 2025, thanks to a recent federal grant awarded to the Adirondack North Country Association. Offered in partnership with local chambers of commerce, the programs are designed to support the retention of small businesses in the region and empower owners and employees with resources and skills to help them prosper.

In September, ANCA was awarded a United States Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant to support a series of educational programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Adirondack North Country. These programs were developed in partnership with the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce and the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

ANCA Small Business Program Director Lauren Richard said the impetus for the educational series was her team’s assessment of gaps in technical assistance observed through their ongoing work with small businesses. “During and following the pandemic, we have gained so much insight about the technical services small businesses really want and need,” she said. “Feedback about ANCA programming over the last several years, as well as collaborations with regional partners and service providers who work closely with local businesses, have given us a strong understanding of where entrepreneurs can really use more support.”

ANCA staff identified five key areas that continue to challenge business owners in the rural North Country and lack adequate funding support among ANCA’s network of partner organizations. These areas of focus include: membership-based businesses; digital empowerment and marketing; value-added food businesses and agriculture; leadership development and strategic planning; and improving workplaces through an equity lens.

“We are thrilled to be working with our partners at ANCA to implement outstanding programs through this joint USDA Rural Business Development Grant,” said Matthew Courtright, TACC President and CEO. “As TACC remains focused on business support, programs, services and development, strong partnerships and collaboration will be key. We would like to thank the team at ANCA for their leadership, assistance and continued partnership. Continued great things are ahead.”

To increase access to their 2025 programs, the partners will offer a hybrid format for many workshops and one-on-one followup with participants for some programs. Several learning and networking opportunities supported by the RBDG are set for February through May 2025.

An eight-week food business lab course for individuals interested in establishing value-added food and farm businesses will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 4 with content provided by the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship. In March, ANCA and TACC will host a three-part series on strategic planning and leadership development for businesses and entrepreneurs followed by another three-part series on digital empowerment and marketing for businesses.

Spring programming will culminate with ANCA’s signature “Small Communities. Big Opportunities.” business conference, which will be held jointly for the first time with ANCA’s annual Clean Energy Conference. The joint conference, scheduled for April 30 to May 2, will present a variety of opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn from and connect with fellow North Country business owners, community leaders and other stakeholders who are invested in strengthening the region’s entrepreneurial economy through collaborative, action-oriented initiatives.

The 2025 slate of programming follows two successful RBDG-supported events in Fall 2024. In October, ANCA and SLACC hosted a day-long “Mastering Membership Growth: Strategies for Attracting, Retaining and Thriving” workshop for membership-based businesses and nonprofits. The workshop was led by Mindy Audlin, a mission-driven leadership trainer and community engagement expert and included hands-on activities and group discussions to provide participants with strategies to grow membership support around their mission. Participants left with an actionable Membership Growth Plan, as well as tools, insights and a step-by-step guide on how to sustain and grow membership over time.

In November, ANCA hosted a “Creating Inclusive Workplaces” panel discussion as part of its Adirondack Diversity Initiative Symposium at Paul Smith’s College. Led by TACC President and CEO Matthew Courtright, panelists covered topics including steps their organizations have taken to embrace diversity and inclusion, how those efforts have affected employees at their organization and what processes are in place to assess the status of these efforts.

More information on ANCA’s small business programming and other events can be found at adirondack.org/events.