Salt Lake City leaders are hoping to help small businesses survive in today's struggling economy by making sure business owners are aware of the resources available to them.

Bob Farrington, the city's economic development director, Thursday unveiled a new initiative that includes a printed and online guide of city and community programs that offer planning, consulting and financing help to small businesses.

"We recognize the value of the small, local business community," Farrington said. "We're pledging to redouble our efforts wherever we can."

Small businesses anchor the city's neighborhood business districts, generating jobs and providing unique goods and services to residents and visitors of Salt Lake City, he said.

"They give the city personality," Farrington said. "It's a selling point for living and working in our city."

The small-business guide contains contact information for city departments and explanations about their duties. It also summarizes services provided by community organizations.

The initiative is driven by the economic downtown being felt around the globe. Small businesses are among the hardest hit, said JT Martin, Salt Lake City councilman and owner of a small business, Emigration Market.

"Businesses are closing their doors, and some are just trying to survive until (the Christmas shopping season)," Martin said.

At a City Council meeting earlier this month, Martin suggested that the city act as a support system for small businesses, unaware that the city's community and economic development department already was proceeding along those lines.

"These are tumultuous times," Farrington said. "We want to be more helpful to our small businesses."

A recent survey conducted by the city found that 60 percent of Salt Lake business owners and managers believe the local economy will rebound within 12 months.

Get info on initiative

Information about the city's small-business initiative and a downloadable guide are available at www.slcgov.com/ED/sbi.htm.

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