DES MOINES – Secretary of State Paul Pate is joining forces with Google and Iowa's Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) at the State Fair to help Iowa businesses grow. They will be conducting workshops throughout the first day of the State Fair at the Secretary of State's booth inside the Varied Industries Building.

Additionally, Governor Reynolds will proclaim Thursday, August 9 as "Grow Your Business Day" in Iowa. A signing ceremony takes place at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Secretary of State's Fair booth.

"Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. My office interacts with hundreds of thousands of businesses each year, but the State Fair is a special opportunity to connect with Iowans face-to-face," Secretary Pate said. "These workshops will provide valuable resources for any Iowan who wants to start or grow their business."

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, a 10-minute presentation on "How to Start and Grow a Business in Iowa" will be conducted at the Secretary of State's Fair booth. Workshops will continue throughout the day, at the top of every hour through 5 p.m.

This is the third straight year Secretary Pate, SBDC and Google have partnered to assist businesses at the State Fair.

"At Google, we see the power of the web working for small businesses every day," said Whitney Cox, manager of Small Business Outreach at Google. "We are thrilled that we can partner with America's SBDC and the Secretary of State's office once again to bring our team to the Fair and teach Iowa businesses how they too can use online tools to grow."

"The America's SBDC Iowa looks forward to this opportunity to partner with strong business advocates, such as the Iowa Secretary of State's office and Google to provide resources to Iowa's businesses," said Lisa Shimkat, state director for America's SBDC Iowa.

Staff from Google and the America's SBDC Iowa will be on hand in the Secretary of State's booth all day on Thursday. Businesses and entrepreneurs that cannot make it, can still stop by any other day during the Fair to meet with SBDC representatives and learn about resources available to them.

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