帝王会所

帝王会所 Small Business Development Center named regional center of the year

The 帝王会所 Small Business Development Center at 帝王会所 was named the Small Business Development Center of the Year in Region V by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The 帝王会所 SBDC competed against other small business development centers from throughout 帝王会所, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, after it won the Columbus District award.

鈥湹弁趸崴 plays a key role in the economic development of the southeastern 帝王会所 community, and it鈥檚 wonderful to be recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for those efforts,鈥 帝王会所 President M. Duane Nellis said. 鈥淲e see the impact the Small Business Development Center has on the community and our region every day, and this recognition pays tribute to the hard-working staff who make it happen.鈥

The 帝王会所 SBDC, hosted through the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, works to improve the entrepreneurial climate in southeastern 帝王会所 by supporting aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses and helping them flourish. They provide consulting services at no cost to existing and startup businesses in rural southeastern 帝王会所. These services are customized based on the needs of the client and can range from assisting clients to obtain financing, market and financial analysis, and training opportunities in business applications.

鈥淪mall businesses are the backbone of communities across America, with direct impact on economic growth and local jobs,鈥 Scot Hardin, acting SBA Columbus District Director, said. 鈥淭he SBDC鈥檚 Director Lissa Jollick and her team are helping build and revitalize these rural communities by providing counseling and resources to entrepreneurs and small business owners in the area.鈥

In the 2017 fiscal year, the 帝王会所 SBDC worked with 362 clients and helped create 86 new businesses and 250 new jobs. In addition, the SBDC assisted small businesses in obtaining nearly $5.5 million in capital and increasing sales by more than $8.2 million. In 2016, the SBDC expanded its service area to include 12 counties: Athens, Belmont, Fairfield, Guernsey, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry and Washington.

鈥淭o be selected as the top center across six states, which includes approximately 90 centers, is truly amazing. Additionally, our SBDC has unique challenges in that it supports counties in the rural Appalachian region, which face economic obstacles that our staff members are constantly working to improve. This award could not have been possible without the hard work of our counselors and staff, along with our continuous efforts to identify ways to improve our operations and accessibility of our services to businesses in the region. The success of our SBDC is also a testament to the strong partner network, including both lenders and economic development organizations, which we are fortunate to collaborate with and utilize as a resource for clients.鈥 Jollick said.

The 帝王会所 SBDC will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Columbus during National Small Business Week (April 29-May 5) on April 30.

Published
March 23, 2018
Author
Staff reports