Small business owners from throughout the Middle Peninsula are invited to take advantage of a business development program being offered on the last Thursday of each month in Gloucester.

The program averages about four businesses participating each month, said Linda Evans, Gloucester’s economic development administrative coordinator. Since January, 17 businesses have scheduled consultations, some for multiple sessions, she said.

Jim Carroll, executive director of the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center in Hampton, comes to the Main Street Center each month, where he usually meets for 1 or 1½ hours with a business owner or other company representatives, Evans said. Upon request, Carroll will meet at a client’s business location to get a better feel for its day-to-day environment.

A key to the program, which is offered free to small businesses in Gloucester and the rest of the Middle Peninsula, is that consultations are private and 100 percent confidenti...