The Local Development Agency join-stock company in Sosnowiec - the partner of an entrepreneur

General Information

We invite all interested people to The Local Development Agency in Sosnowiec, ul. Teatralna 9, 7-th floor.

The Local Development Agency join–stock company in Sosnowiec (Agencja Rozwoju Lokalnego S.A. w Sosnowcu) started its activity in January 1997.

The mission of the Agency is to support development of small and medium-sized companies. The Agency mission is carried through a wide range of services like: advisory, training, information and finance services in order to make small and medium sized companies more competitive and to prepare them to the integration with European Union.

The main goals of ARL S.A. are:

• Supporting an initiative.
• Granting loans and finance guarantees.
• Taking actions connecting with local development.
• Facilitating access to modern management methods.
• Assistance in formation of new work places.

The Local Development Agency is registered in the Registry Center of Training and Advisory Institutions, which is managed by European Commission in Brussels at (No. POL-100302).

In December 1998 r. ARL S.A. started co-operation with Polish Agency for Enterprise Development in Warsaw and was included in National SME Service Network – NSN for small and medium sized companies.

The goal of NSN is improving polish small and medium-sized companies competitiveness by offering high quality services.

The Agency has implemented and uses ISO 9001:2000 quality management system standard.
Quality Management Certificate in the field of advisory, information, training and finance services was bestowed to the Agency by Rheinish-Westfalischer TÜV Systems in Essen that grants certification TÜV CERT.
ARL S.A. obtained the “Business FAIR PLAY” title granted by National Economy Chamber in Warsaw in 2001 and 2002. In 2003 The Agency received – “FAIR PLAY Golden Certificate” title.

• Credit Guarantee Fund
• Local Loan Fund
• Free Advisory Services
• Training, Courses, Seminaries
• Employment Office and Career Advisory Services
• Investment Services
• Local European Information Center

Credit Guarantee Fund

The goal of foundation of Credit Guarantee Fund

Beginning form June 2002 there is a Credit Guarantee Fund in The Local Development Agency in Sosnowiec. The Fund main goal is to make obtainment of bank credits easier by issuing repayment guarantees. Credits are given by: Upper-Silesian Economy Bank S.A. (Górnośląski Bank Gospodarczy S.A.), capital group of BPH PBK S.A. banks as well as other banks.

Beneficiaries of Guarantee Fund

ARL S.A. guarantees are granted to small and medium-sized enterprises and people starting their own business activity.

Conditions and procedures of granting a guarantee

• Letter of application and all other documents should be submitted to the bank that grants the credit.
• Term guarantee is granted for a period of time which is equal to credit period i.e. 3 years with the possibility of renewal for 5 years.
• The amount guaranteed cannot exceed 70% of the total amount of the credit granted and cannot be higher then 100.000 PLN.
• Personal contribution of applicant amounts 30%.
• Agency assists by writing of a business plan.

Security for a given guarantee

• The guarantee is granted under the condition of presentation a blank promissory note of hand together with a declaration of the note of hand.
• In case of high risk of the venture ARL S.A. is entitled to ask for additional guarantee.
• The Agency collects one-off commission that comes to 2% of the amount of guarantee.

Local Loan Fund

The Local Development Agency in Sosnowiec grants loans to small-sized enterprises and to individuals starting their own business venture out of their own resources.

• Loans are for investments which will cause increase in number of work places. The amount of loan cannot exceed 40.000 PLN.
• Maximum repayment period is up to 2 years with a 3-month period of grace for repayment of capital installments.
• Interest rate currently amounts to 8%.
• The Agency collects one-off commission that totals 2% of the amount of the loan.

Contact person: Adrianna Leśnowolska & Kamil Witkowicz
Phone No.: 0...32/266-50-41

Free Advisory Services

There is a free Consultant and Advisory Center (PKD) in The Local Development Agency which offers services for small and medium sized enterprises and for people who start their own business activity.

PKD provides the following advisory:

• Law and administration issues connected with starting and running a business venture.
• Finance issues – possibilities of gaining external finance sources, assistance in writing a business plan, choice of taxation form.
• Marketing and management and trade offer’s preparation.

Contact person: Krystyna Kozak
Phone No.: 0…32/266-50-41; 293-36-10

Local Center of European Information has started to operate in The Local Development Agency.
The Center is available for small and medium-sized companies and for local community. Information concerning the European Union is free.

Contact person: Justyna Halaburda
Phone No.: 0…32/266-50-41
e-mail: ueinfo@arl.it.pl

Training, Courses, Seminaries

Center of Economic and Information Technology Trainings operating in ARL S.A. has a non-public training center status.

The main goal of the Center is education of adults and young people aimed to increase or acquire qualification in the following fields:

• Introduction to running an own business venture and promotion of self-employment among the unemployed.
• Practical use of information technology.
• Basis of a computers operation and computer graphics.
• Training for small and medium sized companies.
• Training for company managers in restructuring (privatization) and enterprise management.
• Other training according to the local job market demand.

Contact person: Jerzy Lechowski
Phone No.: 0…32/293-44-39

Employment Office and Career Advisory Services

There is also Employment Office and Career Advisory Service in the Agency. Services of this office are directed to employers looking for employees and to unemployed looking for a job.

The office provides free trainings for people interested in job searching methods and self-presentation.
An Individual Advisory Service is created for people who are unemployed for a long period of time and unable to cope with the labor market. The main purpose of this consultancy services is to indicate the area of work activity in which a particular person is able to get a job.

Contact person: Lech Zemanek & Michał Frankowski
Phone No.: 0…32/266-50-41

Investment Services

We offer services in the following fields:

• Obtainment of preliminary development decisions.
• Initial designing materials.
• Technical design and area development.
• Development permission obtainment.

Contact person: Jan Koczur
Phone No.: 0…32/266-50-41