Theo tin phila.gov
For Immediate Release: January 30, 2017
Published By: Office of the Mayor
Contact: Lauren Cox, (215) 683-2067, Lauren.Cox@phila.gov
PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia’s Department of Commerce launched a new initiative, Global Business Hours, to provide additional assistance to immigrant-owned businesses. Beginning in February 2017, Global Business Hours will be held at the Department of Commerce’s office, located at 1515 Arch Street. The program is being executed in partnership with SCORE Philadelphia, a small business support organization.
Multi-lingual Business Service Managers from the Department of Commerce will team up with SCORE representatives to provide free bilingual consulting services in Spanish, Mandarin and Korean. Additional languages are available through a translation service upon request. Interested business owners should email business@phila.gov to schedule an appointment.
“I am thrilled to announce the Global Business Hours program for 2017,” said Commerce Director Harold T. Epps. “We know immigrant-owned businesses are an essential part of the fabric of our city, and the Department of Commerce wants to ensure we are doing all we can to support these small business owners. The success of immigrant-owned businesses is essential to the health of our neighborhood corridors and the city’s economy overall.”
The goal of this initiative is to encourage small businesses, especially business owners with limited English proficiency, to take advantage of the technical assistance programs and other resources offered by the Department of Commerce and its partners. In the Philadelphia region, immigrant entrepreneurs are a vital aspect of the local economy. According to a report released in 2015, these businesses earn revenues of nearly
$300 million annually and are responsible for the majority of economic growth along commercial corridors. Immigrant-owned businesses make up 28 percent of the area’s Main Street business owners.
The Department of Commerce offers a number of other resources to support immigrant-owned businesses in Philadelphia. Service materials are available in multiple languages, and the new version of the City’s online Business Services Center (www.phila.gov/business) has improved language translations. Additionally, the Department provides extensive support to commercial corridors throughout the city, including those in immigrant communities. The Department of Commerce also provides financial support to various chambers, including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Asian American Chamber of Commerce, and African American Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, Commerce launched its Passport Philadelphia program, which urges residents to frequent immigrant-owned businesses. The first iteration of the program focused on Southeast Asian cuisine; details about programming for 2017 are forthcoming.
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This content was last updated on January 30, 2017 by Office of the Mayor.
https://beta.phila.gov/press-releases/mayor/department-of-commerce-launches-global-business-hours/
