Business program has Barksdale’s fledging coffee business perking up in Choteau

Like many entrepreneurs, Carol Barksdale found her business inspiration in something she enjoyed on a daily basis.

"Working multiple jobs and keeping the three of us in line, coffee got me through it," Barksdale said, recalling her days as single parent with two children.

A curiosity turned into fascination after a visit to a friend’s coffee-roasting business in Missouri.

The result, after months of research, classes, remodeling and searching for equipment, is Cazbar Coffee Traders, a fledgling wholesale coffee roasting business in Choteau.

She took a business course at the MSU-Great Falls College of Technology. She sought the help of the Small Business Development Center in Great Falls and completed the 12-week NxLeveL business development program.

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To learn more

The NxLeveL program consists of weekly sessions stretching from January to early May. The program has an instructor but also includes outside experts in areas of business planning. The cost is $300, and registration takes place in the late fall.

To learn more about the NxLeveL program or other offerings of the Small Business Development Center, contact Suzie David at 453-8834 or at [email protected]. More information on the program is available by clicking on the High Plains Financial tab on the GFDA Web site, http://www.gfdevelopment.org

By JAMES E. LARCOMBE Tribune Business Editor

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050412/BUSINESS/504120331/1046/NEWS01