Montgomery County business center reports outreach to more than 2,100 businesses; requests expanded legal and marketing support ahead of budget

Gene Smith, manager of the Montgomery County Business Center, told the county Economic Development Committee on Feb. 1 that the center assisted or engaged more than 2,100 businesses in 2024 and has added staff and new programming as it prepares for the upcoming operating budget.

Smith said the center offers “soup to nuts” business support — outreach by four business liaisons, a small‑business navigator and staff who manage contracts, grants and microloans — and that the team implemented a client relationship management system this year to better track services and outcomes.

The update came as council members pressed staff for details the committee will need for budget deliberations. Committee members and staff said the Business Center is identifying specific service gaps to include in the budget request and will share financial details and grant/loan tracking in writing before budget action.

Smith described staffing and services in detail. He said the office has four business liaisons who provide proactive, door‑to‑door outreach across five county regions, and a small business navigator who runs cohort programming such as a multicultural accelerator developed with M&T Bank and pathways-to-entrepreneurship events in partnership with Montgomery College. Smith also described three innovation centers that serve roughly 70 clients and a contracts portfolio that supports outside “resource partners.”

“We do provide a lot of efforts to the county to help businesses start and grow,” Smith said.

Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Ken Hartman told the committee the small team has a measurable track record in outreach and casework. “They are out there on the front lines making the contact, proactively identifying the issues and resolving them,” Hartman said.

Committee members pressed staff on several recurring requests from businesses. The Business Center identified deeper legal support (beyond brief consultations), expanded marketing support, and public‑safety assistance for some commercial corridors as the most frequently raised needs. Smith said the center can point businesses to partner organizations for short legal consultations but currently lacks capacity to provide one‑on‑one, extended attorney representation for disputes that require court action.

Smith also listed the programs the office manages or supports: the MOVE program, an SBIR grant‑matching effort, a Purple Line grant program and a county microloan program. He said staff help businesses with central vendor registration required to receive county funds and that staff time includes extensive back‑office assistance to cure application problems.

Council members asked how the Business Center coordinates with local chambers of commerce, the county’s economic development organization (MCEDC), and regional services centers. Smith said the center coordinates with chamber executive directors and minority‑focused chambers and tries to avoid duplicating services. He described a regional staffing approach that assigns liaisons by geography and language capacity (for example, matching a Spanish‑speaking liaison to Mid County neighborhoods with high Spanish‑speaking populations).

Committee directions and next steps included a request for a consolidated spreadsheet from finance listing all grants, loans and related spending and for a written update on microloan and equity programs before the budget process.

The committee did not take any formal votes on funding during the briefing; members said the information will inform fall and winter budget deliberations.

The presentation and follow‑up discussion underline the Business Center’s expanding role in Montgomery County’s small‑business ecosystem while flagging that legal services, marketing assistance and additional liaison capacity are likely to be priorities for the next budget cycle.