By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
Flint Hills Regional Council has received a $360,000 grant from the Ewing and Marion Kauffman Foundation with Council Director Jerry Lonergan explaining they will work with Junction City Main Street. The grant funds will be used to focus on home-based businesses including what they can do to grow, get started and what can be done to help them get better and expand their markets.
The funds will be spread over a three-year period and will tie in with Junction City Main Street. "We think Junction City can take the lead in making this a national initiative," said Lonergan.
Michaela Self, Main Street Director, also said the funds will focus on entrepreneurship in Geary County and across the region, "But specifically in downtown Junction City. It's to encourage entrepreneurs to hopefully get a business going." Step one will focus on research and focus groups in Junction City followed by a statewide survey. Also in year one there will be a community forum focusing on women entrepreneurship. The second part in year one will include an eight-week business course dealing with how to start your own business. Self also said years two and three will focus on implementing actions based on the findings of the research.