The Four States NPR News Source
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Small Business Development Center at PSU nets positive results for small businesses owners throughout Southeast Kansas

PSU’s Small Business Development Center offers a range of services from starting a business to locating funding, and even selling your business.

Link for Pittsburg City Commission meeting - 03/28/2023

The economic outlook for Crawford county and Pittsburg remains upbeat and optimistic.

That was Tuesday night's message from President of the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce Blake Benson and Pittsburg State's Executive Director of Operations, Business Development, & Economic Engagement Darrell Pulliam.

Darrell spotlighted the work of the Small Business Development Center at Pitt Stateand their work helping launch a new business.

"We cover 11 counties with our small business development team. Within those numbers are 86 unique clients.

So that's 86 businesses, of people here in Pittsburg that are starting businesses.

And inside of those numbers, there's 11 new started businesses last year that we helped start a new business."

The Pittsburg Chamber also underscored a 25% increase in wages in Crawford County over the past two years; some of that due to the rise of inflation, around 9%.

Also, the low employment rate of Pittsburg, averaging about 3%. An increase from this time last year when unemployment was just 2%.

Since 2017 Fred Fletcher-Fierro has driven up Highway 171 through thunderstorms, downpours, snow, and ice storms to host KRPS’s Morning Edition. He’s also a daily reporter for the station, covering city government, elections, public safety, arts, entertainment, culture, sports and more. Fred has also spearheaded and overseen a sea change in programming for KRPS from a legacy classical station to one that airs a balance of classical, news, jazz, and cultural programming that better reflects the diverse audience of the Four States. For over two months in the fall of 2022 he worked remotely with NPR staff to relaunch krps.org to an NPR style news and information website.

In the fall of 2023 Fred was promoted to Interim General Manager and was appointed GM in Feburary of 2024.