Virginia Launches Business Support Portal

Businesses seeking information and services from the Commonwealth of Virginia now have a new centralized starting point. The new online portal (www.business.virginia.gov) is available through the state's official Web site and consolidates information about Virginia's various business assistance and support services such as grants, loans, workforce training, and licensing in one online location.

"This portal employs user-friendly technology to provide a single gateway to the many services Virginia offers businesses throughout state government," said Governor Mark R. Warner. "This new site provides immediate access to information and further enhances Virginia's business-friendly environment."

The Commonwealth's business portal was created by the Virginia Department of Business Assistance and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. The site design was driven by feedback from businesses across the state and includes four main categories of information requested most frequently by the private sector:

• Starting a Business serves as a link to information relevant to businesses and entrepreneurs who are getting started, including procedures for registering, licensing, and permitting.
  
  
• Running a Business includes information about regulations, employment, and tax laws for existing businesses.
  
  
• Business Resources connects businesses to services including counseling and industry organizations.
  
  
• Out of State Businesses provides information applicable to out-of-state businesses that seek to expand in or relocate to Virginia

The site also has a "live chat" feature that provides businesses with real time access to the Virginia Business Information Center and is administered by the Department of Business Assistance. The Virginia Business Information Center's online support and assistance representatives can offer business users instant answers to questions about the resources, services, and forms found on the portal. A survey is also available within the portal to collect feedback in order to make further refinements and improve service.

"Our Virginia Business Information Center representatives were real ambassadors for this portal," said Mike Eisenman, director of the Virginia Department of Business Assistance. "They hear from thousands of Virginia businesses and entrepreneurs every year and were able to provide a great deal of insight into the content required of this new tier of information access."

The need for increased access to information via a centralized entry point was sparked by the efforts of a steering committee comprised of business, education, and state agency leaders throughout the Commonwealth.

"The biggest challenge in creating the business portal was organizing the vast amount of information and resources to ensure that the questions and needs of business users and other customers are answered in the most efficient manner possible," said Scott Somerhalder, general manager of Virginia.gov.

The Virginia Department of Business Assistance supports economic development in the Commonwealth by working with new and existing businesses to provide workforce incentives, loans, business information, incubator counseling, and educational opportunities for the business community.