Case Study Title: HRP: Monterey Early Assistance Team
Description: The Monterey Early Assistance Team (EAT) was developed through the Monterey HRP to provide businesses identified as "high risk" an opportunity for education and peer to peer intervention, review and assitance prior to the intervention of a regulatory agency. EAT was developed to provide an opportunity for education prior to opening a business as well as ongoing training for staff and management.
Problem Statement: Aspiring business owners often have a romantic idea of what owning a dining and/or entertainment business will be like, and often people starting new businesses don`t know or have difficulty ascertaining what is legally required of them to open up a new business. Generally businesses that have gone "off track" have done so due to lack of understanding of rules, regulations or best practices and have few exterior resources to help them address their operational issues. The EAT provides an opportunity for eduation prior to opening a business, ongoing training for staff and management and peer-to-peer intervention prior to the intervention of regulatory agencies.
Stakeholders: Monterey hospitality businesses, county agencies
Process: Identify and convene representatives from businesses, regulatory agencies and trade assoiciations to make up the team. Organize and publicize trainings as needed and/or available. Compile data for a New Business Resource Directory. Organize and facilitate New Business Orientations. Conduct Risk Assessments for businesses that request them.
Outcome: Expanded education and communication amongst new and existing hospitality businesses. Provided assistance in getting businesses back on track and on the path to provide spaces for sociability and a continued healthy local hospitality industry.
Challenges and Lessons Learned: Some difficulty in getting businesses to understand value and send their staff to the offered trainings. Collection of data is time consuming. Some difficulty in outreach to individuals interested in opening a hospitlaity business. A Risk Assesment can sound intimidating to some, need to be able to convey that it is a non-judgmental and useful tool.
Jurisdiction: Business, district, city, county
Funding:
Spin-off Projects:
Primary Contact: Dawn Pease
Primary Contact Email: laura@rhiweb.org
Website:: http://www.rhiweb.org
Focus: Education
Issue: General
Date Submitted: 7/8/2005
Submitted by: Laura Sullivan
Contact eMail: laura@rhiweb.org
|