Jasper Chamber Hosts Business Launch Workshop Feb. 12 With Grant Sherfick

The Jasper Chamber of Commerce is hosting an interactive workshop titled "How to Launch Your Own Business" on Thursday, Feb. 12, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. The session will be presented by Grant Sherfick, ISBDC Ecosystem Navigator and Business Advisor, and will be offered both in-person and virtually. The chamber office is located at 302 West 6th Street in Jasper; attendees may contact the chamber at (812) 482-6866 or chamber@jasperin.org for details and registration.

Organizers frame the workshop as a practical entry point for would-be entrepreneurs to test readiness and shape their launch plans. Past iterations of Jasper Chamber and SBDC programming have focused on specific startup components such as Business Financing, Business Plan development, Business Start-up and pre-planning, Managing a Business, and Marketing and Sales. Previous sessions have included participant materials such as a 34-page Guide to Starting a Business workbook and offered follow-up one-on-one counseling with Southcentral Indiana SBDC advisors; attendees should confirm with the chamber whether those materials and counseling options will be provided for the Feb. 12 session.

Fee structures have varied in earlier workshops. A 2017 chamber seminar carried a $35 registration fee that included a comprehensive workbook, while a November 2024 SBDC seminar in Jasper was listed with no fee to attend. The Feb. 12 announcement does not specify a fee or registration deadline; prospective participants should verify cost and RSVP requirements with the chamber using the phone number or email above.

The workshop continues a multi-year pattern of local programming aimed at lowering barriers to business formation. The Jasper Chamber has organized related events dating back to at least 2017, including an April 11, 2017 Aspiring Entrepreneurs session and a July 11, 2017 "Let's Put Jasper on the Map" workshop focused on claiming local search listings. Chamber director Nancy Eckerle highlights the organization’s role in the local economy: “The Jasper Chamber is a convener of people and works to be the resource of businesses of all sizes and also helps people in their quest to start a business.” The chamber itself traces its roots to January 1, 1954.

Local economic implications are straightforward. Workshops that improve business planning and marketing can raise the survival rate for new firms, increase local job creation, and expand consumer options in Dubois County. Practical tools such as a business feasibility process, financing preparation, and online listing management help reduce early-stage friction and can make small ventures more bankable to lenders or attractive to local customers.

What comes next for interested residents is confirmation: verify the Feb. 12 registration procedure, fee status, and whether printed materials or SBDC follow-up counseling will be provided by contacting the Jasper Chamber at (812) 482-6866 or chamber@jasperin.org. The event represents another opportunity for Jasper residents to turn a business idea into a structured plan backed by local and regional advising resources.