BLACKFOOT, Idaho — Lewis-Clark State College and the state of Idaho are creating an eastern Idaho incubator to help small businesses plunge into electronic commerce.
Thad Hoffman was hired by the Idaho Small Business Development Center in Pocatello and assigned to communities in Bingham and Bannock counties.
One of his missions is working with the Lewiston college, which selected eastern Idaho for the state's launch of the Virtual Technology Incubator.
"Going about to establish a Web presence is somewhat daunting," Hoffman said. "As far as I can tell, this is unique."
The program was established through U.S. Housing and Urban Development money matched by the Idaho Board of Education.
While business incubators that provide struggling startup firms with buildings, office equipment and secretaries are not new, applying them to e-commerce is novel.
Hoffman will help the entrepreneurs build Web sites, provide hosting services, market sites, assist in online government procurement and clinch business transactions.