Red Carpet Team on a Roll

By Victor Kragh

A number of businesses in Ulster County have benefited from the services of the Red Carpet Business Services Team and the numbers are growing. The concept of a “single portal” for businesses to enter to have their needs, requests and questions addressed has been the goal of the Ulster County Business Team.

We believe our services can be addressed as “Red Carpet” because we listen and act on business inquiries. The Red Carpet Team is made up of organizations dedicated to providing help to businesses. The New York State Department of Labor, the Kingston/Ulster Empire Zone, the Ulster County Development Corporation, the Small Business Development Corporation, the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency, the Chamber of Commerce of Ulster County, Ulster County BOCES, NYS Vocational Services for the Disabled, and SUNY Ulster are all the team members. The members share a vision of a “single portal” or an “account representative” type philosophy which has each member responsible for making sure a business they connect with is also connected to the teams vast array of services and benefits.
Although, sounding redundant…the mission of the team is to serve as a primary resource for comprehensive business services in Ulster County. The team works to enhance communication with the business community and encourage and coordinate access to available programs and resources. Team members provide professional advice and direction to help solve business issues through referrals, networking, and resource-sharing.

Benefits include grant funds for training new hires and current staff, human resources consulting, low interest loans, tax credits, professional assistance for start-up & existing small businesses, site selection & community approval assistance, site development, Empire Zone tax credits, job listings, applicant recruitment and screening, technical support for energy-efficient building and renovations along with financial incentives, and much, much more. If you or someone you know owns a business or is seriously considering going into business, please contact the Red Carpet Team at either 340-3177 or 338-4696 x 3004 for additional information.