A groundbreaking ceremony was held today, Tuesday, October 13th, for the new $5.9 million Small Business Success Center planned for the historic Holy Rosary campus at the corner of Louisiana Avenue & Carmel Drive in North Lafayette, Louisiana.
The new 8,600-square-foot facility, a project by the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), will include offices for LEDA’s small business team, training rooms, and private offices for one-on-one business counseling.
Services at the center will include help with business plans, financial literacy, consulting, and training. The center will also help connect business owners with potential funding sources. It will serve a broad range of businesses, including small businesses, sole proprietors, and those operating side businesses & gig work.
upLFT Capital Access, also known as the Lafayette Community Development Fund, is one of the center’s planned anchor tenants. The organization is working to become a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), which would allow it to expand financing opportunities for smaller businesses that may struggle to qualify for traditional bank loans.
The facility is also expected to incorporate youth entrepreneurship programming, expanding on LEDA’s existing summer entrepreneurship boot camps…