Special to The Hays Daily News

The Kansas Small Business Development Center recently launched a redesigned Web site at www.kansas.gov/ksbdc for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The site grants access to free consulting and tools to start and grow a small business.

Fort Hays State University is the statewide host for KSBDC.

The KSBDC partnered with www.kansas.gov to develop the new site now housed in the Kansas Business Center, the state's "one-stop shop" for information vital to starting and growing a business in Kansas.

"This partnership will provide current and future KSBDC clients access to the resources they need as entrepreneurs," said Wally Kearns, KSBDC state director. "It is a collaborative effort that illustrates the commitment the state has to economic development and in providing online access to state resources."

The new site replaces www.ksbdc.biz. Users will be redirected automatically to the new site.

The KSBDC site includes information about how to access one-on-one business consulting at no cost to the user from one of 12 regional or outreach centers throughout Kansas.

The KSBDC provided more than 12,000 hours of free one-on-one counseling to 2,000 clients in 2007. Approximately 4,650 individuals attended onsite workshops at the eight regional and four outreach centers throughout Kansas. In 2007, the KSBDC assisted clients in 263 new business ventures, helping generate about 1,400 new jobs in Kansas.

Additional efforts to reach Kansas entrepreneurs include establishing more outreach centers in rural areas. An outreach center is a cost-effective strategy for establishing collaborative partnerships and expanding KSBDC services. Currently, there are four outreach centers with plans to add several more this year.

Online virtual business training in areas such as "Starting Your Business," "Managing Your Finances" and "Foundations of Marketing" is accessible at any time. The online courses are also available in Spanish. The new site also includes business success stories from the Emerging and Existing Business of the Year in Kansas.

KSBDC is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Topeka Chamber of Commerce and the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. University partnerships include Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Kansas, Washburn University, Wichita State University and several community colleges throughout the state.

Kansas.gov is the official Web site for the state of Kansas. The portal operates through a public-private partnership between the Information Network of Kansas and the Kansas Information Consortium, LLC.