Twelve people recently graduated from the fall business training series sponsored by the Middle Peninsula Business Development Partnership.

The graduates represent both existing business owners working to increase profitability, MPBDP director Candie Newman said, and others representing new businesses at the idea stage. "All are to be commended for committing to 20 hours of classroom training," she said, with local professionals speaking on topics such as business plans, legal matters, accounting, and other aspects of running a business.

In all, approximately 1,600 people have attended these business training sessions since the program began in 2000, Newman said. The new entrepreneurs join more than 400 businesses in the Middle Peninsula and surrounding areas that have participated in the training sessions through the years.

"The businesses supported by our services have, in turn, created 558 local jobs since 2000," she said.

The next business training ser...