Getting Down to Business | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Event launched for business officials to join forces

Local business officials mingle Thursday during the inaugural Putnam County Entrepreneur’s Social at Azalea City Brewing Co. in Palatka.
Adam Lupplace, the owner of The Oaks Golf Club in Crescent City, introduces himself during the social.
Lalita Thomas talks about what she would like to achieve business-wise.
Local business officials mingle Thursday during the inaugural Putnam County Entrepreneur’s Social at Azalea City Brewing Co. in Palatka.
Positively Putnam FL

Nearly two-dozen people gathered Thursday evening for the inaugural event in a series meant to jumpstart an effort for business officials to unite, exchange ideas and expand their enterprises.

The Putnam County Entrepreneur’s Social gave businesspeople the platform to introduce themselves, briefly explain what they do and throw out ideas of building a stronger small business community in the area.

Rick Paul, the business consultant for the Small Business Development Center office in Palatka, was pleased with the turnout for the first in a monthly series of socials.

“I’m very happy for all the support,” he said. “I think it goes to show there’s a big need for the small business community to come together. After this COVID thing, everybody’s starting from scratch again.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March 2020 and is still ongoing, many businesses – as well as people’s plans to open or expand businesses – were drastically altered, Paul said.

The Entrepreneur’s Social and other business events the development center has planned could remedy those business ails, Paul said.

Thursday’s event was at Azalea City Brewing Co., 120 S. Seventh St. in Palatka, but Paul strives for business officials from all over the county to attend. And next month’s event, the date for which is tentative, is slated to be at Lemon Street Market & Mercantile, 715 St. Johns Ave. in Palatka.

Moving the event from place to place and encouraging attendance from people who live and work throughout the county is vital to making sure the small business sector in the entire county – and not just Palatka – thrives, Paul said.

“We network; we get to meet each other,” he said of Thursday’s event. “We have businesses from the south (end of the county), Crescent City. We’ve got businesses from the north side (of Palatka). It’s meant to be peer-to-peer and not me getting up and talking.”

In addition to monthly socials, the development center will host a panel discussion about government contracting and procurement resources 5:30–6:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, 1100 Reid St. in Palatka.

There will also be monthly small business workshops for business officials to speak directly with Paul.

For information on the Small Business Development Center and the events it has planned, call 386-268-1311 or email r.paul@unf.edu.