(Santa Ana, CA) – Today the Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC), hosted by Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD), was awarded a generous $40K grant from Wells Fargo Foundation to enhance existing services and create new programs and services available to the Vietnamese small business communities primarily in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Westminster.
The grant was announced at RSCCD Foundation Board of Directors meeting and was presented by Wells Fargo’s Jack Toan, Regional Vice President of the Wells Fargo Foundation.
The funding from Wells Fargo Foundation specifically enables the Orange County SBDC to expand current services, as well as plan and develop such new, no-cost events and activities as:
- No-charge business consultations
- Training workshops focusing on starting, growing or exiting a business
- Focus groups of young entrepreneurs to better direct the development of services
- Expert seminar(s) from various lending organizations to educate how to access capital
- Succession planning
“Immigrants play a critical role in the business community. The grant will support the growth and vibrancy of Vietnamese-owned small businesses and to positively impact the local economy,” said Toan.
“There are over 4,000 Vietnamese-American businesses in the Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Westminster communities whose demographics not only reflect new and existing entrepreneurs of all ages, but business owners who also need support in succession planning in order to continue their family legacies,” said Orange County SBDC Director Ruth Cossio-Muniz. “We are confident that this generous grant from Wells Fargo Foundation will enable the Orange County SBDC to provide new and existing professional support services these small business owners need to succeed.”
Pictured from left to right: Enrique Perez, Vice Chancellor, Educational Services, Rancho Santiago Community College District; Richard Porras, Regional Vice President, AT&T; Kristin Crellin, Vice President, School and Community Relations, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union; Jack Toan, Vice President and Community Affairs Manager, Wells Fargo; Marvin Martinez, Chancellor, Rancho Santiago Community College District; Keith Kobata, Regional President, Wells Fargo; Ruth Cossio-Muniz, Director, Orange County SBDC; and Todd O. Litfin, Partner, Rutan & Tucker, LLP.
About the Orange County Small Business Development Center
Established in 1991, the Orange County Small Business Development Center, an economic development program of Rancho Santiago Community College District in Santa Ana, is recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Center of Excellence and serves over 3,000 businesses per year resulting in more than $75 million in regional economic impact. As a non-profit organization, the Orange County SBDC offers no-cost business consulting and training opportunities to current business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs throughout Orange County and surrounding areas. Orange County SBDC serves a diverse clientele from various backgrounds, socio-economic levels and with numerous business needs.
About Rancho Santiago Community College District
Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College are public community colleges of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, which serves the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, Villa Park, and portions of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, and Tustin. Both colleges provide education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, and customized training for business and industry.
