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Palm Beach North Chamber and FAU SBDC unveil free business resource center for local entrepreneurs
Summary
The Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Atlantic University Small Business Development Center presented a new online Business Resource Center and announced plans for in‑person satellite services to support Tequesta and northern Palm Beach County small businesses.
The Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Atlantic University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) told the Village Council of Tequesta they are launching a free Business Resource Center and a local partnership to speed access to business consulting and workshops for small business owners.
The announcement was made July 8 during the council’s presentation period by Noel Martinez, president and CEO of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce. He said the chamber’s new site aggregates tools such as business‑plan guidance, cybersecurity and emergency‑management information, and links to municipal resources across the chamber’s 11‑municipality region. "Our strategic plan is the foundation of everything we do," Martinez said.
The chamber’s director of strategic initiatives, Caitlin Bergman, said the online resource is a one‑stop portal that is free and open to the public and will connect entrepreneurs to curated tools, step‑by‑step guides, mentorship and events. Bergman also described a new, formal partnership with the FAU‑hosted Small Business Development Center that will include jointly hosted workshops, such as a free August 5 event on turning a concept into a storefront, and the possibility of a future satellite office located at the chamber’s office to provide SBDC services locally.
Sandra Marín Ruiz, regional director of the SBDC for Broward and Palm Beach counties, described SBDC services as free and confidential and said the program supports small businesses with consulting, export assistance, government contracts, disaster relief planning and capital access. Ruiz said the satellite arrangement is intended to reduce barriers for local business owners who find it difficult to travel to campus offices and to speed service delivery by providing local appointments and cohorts.
In discussion, council members praised the partnership and several asked staff to help publicize the resources. The council suggested the village use its social media and newsletter to broadcast the new resource; staff said they would coordinate distribution. No formal vote or ordinance was associated with the presentation.
Why it matters: Chamber and SBDC services can shorten the time local entrepreneurs need to form, stabilize or scale a business and can provide free, federally backed counseling on financing and disaster preparedness. Tequesta council members said they plan to refer residents and local business owners to the service and to push the information through municipal communications.
What happens next: The chamber will run workshops with the SBDC and pursue a satellite arrangement; village staff will circulate promotional materials to the community and include the resource in the village newsletter and social channels at council’s request.
