Pickens Business Assistance Guide

Nominated by the Pickens Revitalization Association

For a business district to grow, the community must become more business friendly by streamlining processes for opening and running a business.

Spearheaded by the Pickens Revitalization Association, the Pickens Business Assistance Guide provides a one-stop shop for information for both potential and existing business owners.

The customized guide provides information about starting a business including a sample timeline, a copy of Pickens' downtown master plan and a listing of available resources for developing a business plan.

The guide's contact section lists local, state and federal departments that a business may need to contact to get necessary licenses, permits and approvals. It also includes information on local market conditions along with extensive demographic information for Pickens and the surrounding area.

Pickens' Entrepreneur Friendly Task Force, with representatives from the Pickens Revitalization Association, City of Pickens, Appalachian Council of Governments, the local Small Business Development Center, Alliance Pickens and local business owners, developed the guide. The Pickens Revitalization Association has the responsibility for distributing it and ensuring the information is accurate and up-to-date.

Since its release in May 2014, Pickens has used the guide to recruit 18 new businesses with a half dozen more in the pipeline.

Contact: Allison Fowler at pra.historicpickens@gmail.com or 864.878.0105