REGION : Consulting Firm Gives Businesses a Leg Up

With little experience or business acumen, German Lopez opened Azteca Tae Kwon Do, a small South Gate martial arts studio, two years ago. His goal was to tap into a sizable Spanish-speaking market, but Lopez quickly found he needed more than just expertise in self-defense to survive.

“I was good at martial arts, but bad at doing business,” Lopez said.

With little knowledge of advertising, promotions and direct mail strategies, Lopez’s business was floundering. But then he received a boost from the Los Angeles Business Development Corp., a nonprofit consulting firm that provides entrepreneurial training and management assistance to businesses in economically disadvantaged areas of Los Angeles.

Within months of receiving the free advice, Lopez said he felt more at ease with the language and procedures of the free market. Classes are bulging at his martial arts studio, and later this month Lopez will sponsor his largest promotion ever--an international tae kwon do tournament featuring teams from throughout the United States and Mexico.

Sponsored by a grant from the city of Huntington Park, the corporation created a Business Administration Center, whose aim is to provide small businesses with advice ranging from hiring policies to crisis management consulting.

There are also centers in Compton, South-Central, East Los Angeles, Pacoima, Van Nuys, Santa Monica and Torrance. This month, a new Business Assistance Center (BAC) started to provide free consulting services for businesses in South Gate.

The Business Assistance Centers are funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Huntington Park received an $87,000 grant and South Gate received a $25,000 grant.

The Business Development Corp. has served more than 3,000 companies with technical assistance programs since 1987, creating more than 400 jobs in the process, said Jonathan Goldhill, program director for the South Gate center.

The South Gate BAC will also provide information about disaster relief assistance and the benefits of doing business in enterprise and revitalization zones.

The South Gate BAC office is in the Pacific Arcade building, 6330 Pacific Blvd., Suite 209, Huntington Park.

Information: (213) 585-3856.