AUBURN — City government has partnered with the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the new Staples Connect store to launch Startup Auburn. The partnership is intended to attract and encourage new business startups in Auburn.
During a ribbon-cutting Thursday morning at Staples Connect at 89 Union St., Mayor Jason Levesque shared the details of the new program, including the plan to select three entrepreneurs from a pool of applicants who will get help starting their businesses.
That help includes dedicated coworking space at Staples Connect for four months, 500 free business cards, a $500 Staples gift card, and free and unlimited meeting room space, among other things. The selected entrepreneurs will also receive free marketing and communications consulting from Levesque and chamber staff, and membership in the chamber.
“Auburn is a thriving community with a large population of small businesses and entrepreneurs,” Staples Connect General Manager Jameson Rodrigues said in a written release. “Our team is so grateful for the opportunity to help with their continued growth through the Startup Auburn initiative, and to serve as a partner through the upgraded products and services in our new store.”
New startups generally begin with high costs and limited revenue, Levesque said in a written release, “which is why the city of Auburn — and our extraordinary partners — are dedicated to nurturing and supporting the efforts of these entrepreneurs. By making this incredible new coworking community available to them, we hope to help position them for success. Because when our businesses succeed, Auburn succeeds.”
“This is a great example of how business and municipalities in this region partner to invest in the success of entrepreneurs and small businesses,” Shanna Cox, president and CEO of the LA Metro Chamber, said. “When a startup has access to the resources and support offered here, it gives them a leg up into business ownership and success. We are invested in each business’s success
because we know that leads to a strong local economy.”
The city will begin accepting applications for Startup Auburn in mid-November. Details are available on the city’s economic development website, goauburn.me.
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