Bel Air Downtown Alliance Hosts 2nd Annual Entrepreneur Tour

From the Bel Air Downtown Alliance:

Bel Air Is Open For Business! That is the theme of the Bel Air Downtown Alliance’s 2nd Annual Entrepreneur Tour on Wednesday, September 15th, 10am-1pm at the Bel Air Reckord Armory in Downtown Bel Air, MD.

The Bel Air Downtown Alliance’s mission is to create a vibrant business community and visitor friendly destination in Bel Air, MD. As part of their mission, they are working with both the Harford County and Town of Bel Air Offices of Economic Development for the Entrepreneur Tour. This event is free to attend and includes a networking lunch at MaGerk’s Pub & Grill. It is open to anyone interested in an opening a business in the Town of Bel Air.

Several months ago, the Bel Air Downtown Alliance launched an online survey to measure the wants, needs, and desires of the local community with respect to business activity in Downtown Bel Air. With nearly 400 people responding to the survey, the Alliance used that information to create the theme for this year’s Entrepreneur Tour – Bel Air Is Open For Business. Harford County’s Director of Economic Development, Jim Richardson, will be on hand to discuss the impact of BRAC on Bel air, MD. In addition, there will be presentations from local business owners, Harford Community College’s Small Business Development Center, local commercial realtors RKS Realty, local small business lenders, and the Town of Bel Air, as well as, Harford County with respect to navigating the licensing and permitting process for businesses. A walking tour of various available spaces in Downtown Bel Air is also planned that will end at MaGerk’s Pub & Grill for a networking lunch.

“This event is designed to be an informal gathering of stakeholders as a way to interact with prospective business owners so that we can highlight the advantages of opening a business in the Town of Bel Air,” reports Scott T. Walker, Executive Director of the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. He went on to explain that by including a variety of local business owners, the prospective business owners will be able to hear first hand exactly what the advantages are, as well as, how to overcome any perceived challenges with respect to opening a business in the Town of Bel Air.

Mr. Walker also added, “Over the past 12 months we have had nearly one dozen businesses open in Downtown Bel Air. On most occasions, our organization was able to work very closely with the Town’s Office of Economic Development to assist the business owners through the process and point them in the right direction. Once open, almost all of the businesses have become members of our organization and we are able to continue to assist them with respect to marketing and promotion. Downtown Bel Air is absolutely open for business and we are excited to welcome the next business to our neighborhood!”

The 2nd Annual Entrepreneur Tour is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15th, 10am-1pm at the Bel Air Reckord Armory. The event is free to attend, but registration is required. For additional information or to register, please contact Scott T. Walker at (410) 638-1023 or by email at swalker@downtownbelair.com.