“The entrepreneurial spirt is alive and well in the Lehigh Valley,” Pa. Rep. Steve Samuelson told a motivated group of mostly young businesspeople who received certificates for mastering one or more business courses taught by Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem last month,

As inspiration, Samuelson quoted one of America’s most famous early businessmen, Benjamin Franklin: “Energy and persistence conquers all things.”

The evening ceremony was at the Follett Family Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Southside Bethlehem campus of Northampton Community College in the Fowler Building on Third Street.

A business mixer preceded the ceremony; vendors, many of whom are graduates of the program, at the ready at their own booths.

One of them was psycho-therapist Connor Moriarty, director of Reset Outdoors. He said he had participated in the program during the summer and fall of 2016.

One certificate recipient, electrician Erwin Carrasquilla, was there with his sons who had also participated in the program. Carrasquilla of Slatington is originally from Colombia.

“It [the CADCB program] made me understand clearly what I want to set for business goals,” said Erwin Carrasquilla.

According to CACD Bethlehem Director Anna Smith, the CADCB program offers four courses: Business Basics, Marketing, Small Business Finance, Sales & Professionalism. The tuition is $25 for each course.

The courses run for four weeks and are offered in sequence. February through May is the spring session and August through November is the fall session.