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Goal is to providelocal business withneeded services

Goal is to providelocal business withneeded services

The Huntsville-based Organization Supporting Business Owners launched a national franchise program this summer as part of an expansion of the membership-based group.

The first franchisees, announced Friday, are James A. Campbell and his wife, the Rev. Kerry D. Campbell. They bought the franchise for Madison County. James Campbell is regional manager of the southeast division of NXGEN, a credit card processing and payment services company.

The goal of the franchise program is to have independent franchise owners supporting their local business communities by providing consulting, training, networking and other business services typically offered through OSBO, said Tana Torrano, OSBO's founder and president of OSBO Franchising LLC. "Paying members of any OSBO franchise also enjoy expanded benefits and access to online resources offered in the members' area of the OSBO Web site."

A franchise starts at $25,000, with the cost based on the population of the region, Torrano said. The franchise business model "will help with branding NXGEN in Huntsville," James Campbell said.

OSBO was founded by Torrano in 2002, with its first location in Huntsville. The organization is targeted at small and startup business owners and provides online training, association health insurance programs, discount buying programs and joint marketing.

Torrano said she regularly gets requests for OSBO services in other cities. By using the franchise model, "we are able to not only expand our coverage area and services, but offer a real business opportunity for future franchise owners."

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