The High County SCORE Office and Ashe County Public Library have joined in a partnership that will enable beginning entrepreneurs the opportunity to receive free counseling from knowledgeable retired business executives.

According to counselor Herman Metzler, the new partnership will allow SCORE volunteers to provide confidential one-to-one and team business counseling and low-cost entrepreneurial training workshops and seminars to local clients.

County Librarian Jim McQueen explained that the idea to afford SCORE counseling locally “seemed like a natural fit.” In the past, new and existing business owners would have to travel to Boone to receive SCORE services. The same was true for the counselors who sharing their expertise with these rising entrepreneurs.

The newly expanded library further cemented the notion to allow SCORE to operate in Ashe County.

“With the new building, we are much better able to accommodate SCORE and their clients,” McQueen said.

The library’s new Business and Career Center will provide SCORE clients the opportunity to utilize a collection of materials that pertains to beginning a running a successful new business on a solid financial foundation. Additional meeting and conference rooms will provide counseling to clients in a quiet and confidential setting.

This vast collection of material was made available through a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act. Although some of the media will be restricted for library use only, McQueen said the library is flexible in allowing SCORE clients the option of checking out some of the information for more in-depth study at home.

“This will be a major step forward in helping our businesses and potential start ups to get the same free help that is available from SCORE nationwide,” Metzler said.

McQueen feels that the partnership will bring invaluable professional expertise to local clients.

“I’m real excited about it. I’ve been familiar with SCORE for a number of years and I can’t say enough about how valuable their services are,” McQueen said. “You’ve got experienced business executives who are able to volunteer their time at no charge…you just can’t beat that.”

McQueen said that the new partnership expands what the library’s is already able to offer to entrepreneurs who are looking to get their feet wet in the business world.

“It is a great partnership for us to be able to offer services and support in addition to the books and computer resources that we already have…it is just a tremendous benefit,” McQueen said.

Altogether, there are 11,500 SCORE volunteers that donate their time and talent to assist America’s entrepreneurs.

For more information on High Country SCORE services or to schedule an appointment please contact Herman Metzler at (336) 982-5330, Bill Sharp at (336) 877-5802, or Gary Wolfe at (336) 877-5243.