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Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) receives $5,000 Capital One grant to help startups locate funding

Shreveport, La. — BRF’s Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) is helping local startups obtain early funding by offering assistance with finding and applying for grants. This service is thanks to a $5,000 grant from Capital One ® .

Grants can be crucial for some entrepreneurs looking to get their business ideas off the ground. The capital secured through grant funding can be important to keep the business afloat before it can turn a profit. EAP recognized that one of the most difficult challenges for business owners is finding a grant for which they qualify.

The Capital One grant will allow EAP to work with three startups. Those startups will receive help identifying potential grants and applying for them.

“EAP is pleased to offer this service, especially to entrepreneurs who have low-to-moderate incomes,” said EAP Executive Director Dave Smith. “We plan to particularly engage with women and minority entrepreneurs, focusing on those who may not have the resources or expertise to find and apply for these grants.” EAP anticipates this funding will allow it to help three entrepreneurs each find and apply for up to three grants for their startups.

Visit EAPLA.com to apply for services from EAP and to learn more about the assistance offered through this grant.

EAP serves as the region’s startup accelerator and small business resource by analyzing the viability of ideas and products, matching entrepreneurs with informed investors and other funding opportunities, and nurturing them through the critical steps toward market. EAP provides a suite of services to build sustainable and profitable companies in North Louisiana. EAP, through NorLEAP, has expanded its services across 21 North Louisiana parishes and spearheads North Louisiana university pitch competitions.

National beverage manufacturer Multipack Services to host job fair for wide range of open positions.
National beverage manufacturer Multipack Services, which packages and distributes beverages for nationally recognized brands, is hosting a job fair Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Shreveport location.
Multipack is located at 2791 Valley View Drive in Shreveport.

Job titles for open positions include: Quality Manager, Quality Technician, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Technician, Warehouse Manager, Warehouse Technician, Operations Supervisor, Operations Manager and Packaging Technician.

Starting wages will be $18 per hour and above. Some positions are salaried.

For more information on positions for hire, visit BRFLA.org/jobfair. Candidates should be prepared for on-site interviews.
“This job fair is an opportunity for people to join a new build and a national company at our Shreveport location in our first round of staffing. It’s not an everyday opportunity, and we’re looking for individuals who are high energy and want to start their new career,” said Justin Wilkinson, Vice President of Operations.

Louisiana Economic Development (LED), Multipack Services and regional and state economic development partners BRF, North Louisiana Economic Partnership and the Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board announced Multipack Services’ new location in December of last year.

The company expects to create 141 direct new jobs with an average annual salary of more than $51,000. LED estimated that the project would result in an additional 228 indirect jobs, for a total of 369 new jobs in the Northwest region.

“Multipack is ready to gear up its operation in its state-of-the-art facility to offer a wide range of services, including product specifications and design. The site is expected to produce more than 100 million cans of beverage products per year. We hope that the community is ready to join in on the ground floor of this operation and be a part of this scale-up,” said John George Jr., M.D., BRF President and CEO.

The job fair is sponsored by BRF, Career Adventures and Lagniappe Sourcing Consulting.