Steamboat Pilot & Today

Area business owners are invited to learn how they can latch onto a piece of a $100 million capital fund created by the state legislature to aid expanding businesses in Colorado.

The Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Northwest Loan Fund, and the Steamboat Springs Small Business Development Center, will host the Forum from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday at Bogue Hall on the Alpine Campus of Colorado Mountain College.

The program will include information on available financing programs.

The Certified Capital Company Program, a new program recently made available by the Colorado Legislature, will be featured. The CAPCO Program, funded with $100 million, is available to new and expanding businesses throughout the state. Six companies manage the $100 million, and representatives will be available to discuss their investment strategies and review business plans.

Other programs, including regional loan funds, infrastructure assistance, enterprise zone tax credits and job training funds, and the benefits provided by the Small Business Development Center, also will be discussed.

The forum is open to all interested persons and businesses, but seating is limited.

The Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade oversees the following programs: CAPCO, Region 12's Northwest Loan Fund, infrastructure assistance, enterprise zone tax credits and job training funds.

For additional information, visit www.state.co.us/oed/capco or call John Reece, CAPCO Program Manager at (303) 892-3840.

Scott Ford of the Small Business Development Center, (970) 870-4491, and June Walters of the Northwest Loan Fund, (970) 468-0295, Ext. 119, also may be resources.