A number of consultants lend support to PDP's team, filling in staffing gaps and serving as outreach specialists, enterprise agents and business development service specialists. Competent and professional, our consultants are carefully selected and trained by PDP staff to provide direct services to entrepreneurs. In addition to their PDP consulting work, many operate businesses of their own, and have received PDP's business development services at one time or another. Among PDP's corps of consultants are:

• Outreach Specialists: PDP's outreach specialists are responsible for marketing PDP's programs and services and for recruiting potential borrowers and program participants to PDP's open houses and events. To promote PDP, outreach specialists distribute flyers, put up posters and speak to neighborhood business owners, faith leaders and community representatives. They also represent PDP and distribute program information at community events such as church functions, business fairs, flea markets and business development conferences. PDP's outreach specialists are outgoing and friendly, and most have strong ties to their community.

• Enterprise Agents: Enterprise agents (EAs) are responsible for organizing potential and existing entrepreneurs into peer groups of three to eight people. The EA leads the members of each peer group through an intensive six-to-eight-week orientation and training process to prepare them for participation in the CCW peer lending program. At the completion of this orientation/training period, the peer group formally charters, at which point the members are eligible to apply for peer loans. The EAs continue to work with the peer groups once they have chartered, facilitating meetings and guiding them through the business skills training curriculum and loan approval process and providing ongoing support as needed. The EAs ensure that the peer groups have access to program materials, are informed of program related training and networking events and assist them to collect payments from delinquent borrowers and other problems that may arise. EAs enjoy facilitating peer group meetings and moderating discussions amongst entrepreneurs.

• Business Development Service Specialists: PDP's team of business development service specialists provide tailored business counseling services to entrepreneurs. Individuals who request these services are assigned to work with a business development service specialist who,during their initial meeting, sits down with the entrepreneur to discuss their business challenges and assess their needs. Through further meetings, a plan is developed and agreed to by both parties, who meet regularly to measure the entrepreneur's progress and to make adjustments to the plan, as needed. At times, the business development services specialist will even accompany the entrepreneur to sales meetings. The technical assistance or business counseling is concluded when the problem is resolved or can be managed solely by the entrepreneur. In addition to providing business counseling services, business development service specialists are often called upon to lecture on special business topics at some of PDP's business training classes, workshops and seminars.