Sullivan County Chamber to offer business 'Foundations' training and $5,000 completion grants

The Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce announced a three-week Foundations of Business training beginning Oct. 1, and said completion of the six-session course will make participants eligible for $5,000 in capital grant funding through the chamber.

Ashley, representing the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, described the program as a three-week, six-session evening course held Mondays and Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Resorts World starting Oct. 1. "Once the completion of those courses, those 6 sessions are through, that is part of our internal grants program that we're doing. So any business that completes that course ... will get access to $5,000 in capital grant funding through the chamber," Ashley said.

Ashley also summarized other chamber initiatives: the 2025 Business Excellence Awards (15 nominees are in a public second-round vote), a new customer-relationship-management platform with a community calendar, holiday pop-up markets at Liberty Mall and a workforce summit in October focused on hiring people with disabilities and employer accommodations. Ashley said the chamber has openings on its board of directors and a leadership Sullivan class beginning in September.

The chamber said it is coordinating with the visitor association and Resorts World on the women's legislative caucus visit in October and has been running mixers with local ethnic and out-of-area chambers to integrate businesses into the county economy.

Why it matters: the training-plus-grant model links short-term business education to small capital grants intended to help startups and small businesses scale operations.