Program grows business in the Latino community

The guest of honor's family had rented an auction warehouse that doubles as a banquet hall. No one said this would be easy.

The preparations were another step on Muoz's path to mogul status that began when she stepped into a Kennett Square classroom for a program designed to encourage business development in the Latino community.

"How to Succeed as a Latino Entrepreneur" is a bilingual course offered by Kutztown University's Latino Business Resource Center. The eight-week seminar teaches aspiring business people the intricacies of business plans, marketing, finance, loans, insurance, and legal issues.

The program, which began in Chester County in the fall, is a partnership among the resource center; National Penn Bank; Chester County SCORE, an entrepreneurship counseling group; and La Comunidad Hispaa, a Kennett Square social-service agency where the classes are held.

Noting the growth in the Latino population in the region, "the second generation comes along, people have ambition and want to start businesses," said Horace Scherer, a project coordinator and bilingual business counselor for SCORE, who is helping to coordinate the program.

A new session scheduled to begin in Kennett Square on Thursday.

The program was founded in 2007 as part of an effort by Kutztown to offer increased services to the Latino community and bolster the region's economic health, said Carolina Martinez, director of the school's Latino Business Resource Center. Kutztown University, in Berks County, is in an area with a large Hispanic population.

About 200 students have participated in the program, and 45 percent have started businesses within two years, Martinez said. The university has not tracked how many of the businesses are still in operation.

Since the initiative began, program officials frequently have been called on to advise others seeking to start similar efforts. SCORE contacted the center in hope of expanding the program to southern Chester County, which also has a large Latino community, Martinez said. Plans to start the Kennett Square operation began soon after.

The first Chester County session started with 16 students. Eleven graduated with plans to open businesses, including a restaurant, an auto-detailing shop, and a Mexican handicraft business.

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Program grows business in the Latino community