Area folks with decades of business experience and Summit County leaders gathered Thursday morning to celebrate the opening of the new, more visible offices of Akron SCORE in the county’s Ohio Building on Main Street in downtown Akron.The county is essentially leasing the space for free to the nonprofit, volunteer group that annually provides thousands of hours of free workshops and one-on-one counseling to existing and prospective small-business owners. The official deal calls for SCORE to pay the county $1 a year.Summit County Executive Russ Pry told the group at an open house that SCORE’s move helps respond to those who ask: “You’ve helped Goodyear... You’ve helped Bridgestone. What are you going to do for the small businesses?”Pry was referring to the county’s work with the city of Akron and the state to secure financing that led to Goodyear deciding to build its new headquarters in Akron and Bridgestone Americas to build its new technical center in the city.The open house runs until 2 p.m. at the offices at 175 S. Main St.Many people still refer to the nonprofit group, with 70 volunteers and part of a nationwide network, as the Service Corps of Retired Executives.However, the organization locally and nationwide has dropped that name, recognizing that many of its volunteers remain in the workforce.Akron SCORE previously was located on the 17th floor of the building at One Cascade Plaza downtown.The Greater Akron Chamber – with offices in One Cascade Plaza – provided this space for free. Jason Dodson, chief of staff for Pry, said the chamber wanted to cut the amount of space it was leasing.At the county’s Ohio Building, SCORE occupies 1,250 square feet – about the same amount of space it had at One Cascade Plaza.Officials noted that the move gives SCORE a presence directly on Main Street, next to the county’s economic development offices. County economic staffers work with a variety of small businesses, including those that involve small businesses.Diana Bennett, Akron SCORE’s chair, said, the new location “gives us an opportunity to work closer with the county on economic development, creating jobs and helping small businesses grow and people thinking about going into business.”The SCORE chapter’s president Ron Stallings noted that Goodyear, Summit County, the Greater Akron Chamber and Chemstress Consultant Co., an Akron engineering firm, provided $28,000 in in-kind support related to the move. For example, Goodyear donated office furniture.Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.