THATCHER — While the latest cohort is still a few weeks from graduation, the Small Business Development Center at Eastern Arizona College is wasting no time in preparing for another batch of Gila Valley residents to become entrepreneurs.
The SBDC announced that registration is now open for the next Dreambuilder sessions, with courses beginning Jan. 28.
Those wishing to learn more about Dreambuilder are encouraged to take part in a free kickoff meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon, in room AP-271 on the Thatcher campus of EAC.
In Greenlee County, the kickoff meeting is Jan. 22 at the Clifton Social Club.
DreamBuilder, funded by Freeport-McMoRan and created by the ASU Thunderbird School, started as an online training program designed for women in South America, to assist them in starting or growing their own business.
However, when the SBDC at EAC began teaching the course, it adopted a hybrid model of online courses with one in-person instruction each month. That change elevated Dreambuilder’s completion rate from 27 percent online only, to a 77-percent completion rate.
That success prompted the U.S. Treasury Department to grant $7.9 million to the Arizona Commerce Authority to implement the EAC SBDC model in 10 Arizona counties.
To register for the next Dreambuilder sessions, click here. Cost is $50.
The current Dreambuilder cohort will graduate Dec. 4.
