U.S.
May 11—Opening a business in Muskogee is not an easy process — much like in many cities.
There are a lot of regulations and permits. There are a lot of city departments and organizations that have a hand in the process.
We applaud efforts being made to make the process as easy as possible.
A program designed to help businesses get off the ground will be held at 1 p.m. Lunch and Learn at the Meeting Place on North Main Street.
The program is a collaboration between the city, Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Muskogee.
Business owners hoping to relocate or renovate in Muskogee will find answers to questions regarding permitting, licensing and other city regulations.
Information about funding opportunities and grants through Main Street Muskogee will be made available.
"We want to be a resource for anybody that has current or future interest in doing business downtown, or buying, leasing, or remodeling a building," said assistant city manager Jennifer Swezey. "We want to be the one-stop shop that day — and really any day — for permit questions, historic preservation, utility accounts, anything related to city services."
Most cities will say they are open for business. Muskogee shows it is willing to back up that philosophy with this program.
Entrepreneurs should be able to make one phone call to find a resource that can help them through the process. One phone call should be able to get an entrepreneur all the permit applications, list of regulations, etc. That potential business owner should have all the information needed to successfully open their business at the palm of their hands.
This program will be a major step forward in revitalizing downtown. It will answer questions and get people started down the path to open a business or revitalize a business downtown.
We applaud the efforts of those dedicated to making this program possible. We applaud the foresight to get to this point.
We look forward to additional efforts to continue and expand this program.
If you go
WHAT: Downtown Business Lunch and Learn.
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 15.
WHERE: The Meeting Place, 109 N. Main St.
ADMISSION: Free.