Latino Economic Development Center

LEDC's Business Development Program helps entrepreneurs prepare to launch or grow their business, including communications and marketing, budgeting, digital literacy, commercial insurance, taxation, and other areas of technical assistance. Our Business Development associates guide each member in creating their business plan and provide access to resources and education needed to meet their goals. Through direct support and referrals to specialized service providers, we support clients with their needs in finance, legal issues, technology, information technology (IT), human resources (HR) issues, and industry-specific regulations. Last year, LEDC's Business Development program supported more than 700 aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners through business development workshops and one-on-one business consulting provided in Spanish and English.

LEDC's Agriculture Program, an extension of our Business Development program with a technical focus on the agricultural sector, provides technical assistance, business development, and access to affordable capital and markets that help beginning and established farmers and entrepreneurs start new farming or food production enterprises or grow their existing farm businesses. Additional services include Organic and GAP certification and navigating the complex system of government agriculture programs. Throughout 2024, LEDC's Agriculture program provided technical assistance to 96 farmers and agriculture-focused businesses and supported businesses with closing three loans deploying a total of $580,000 of capital.