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Nevada SBDC Helps The Wine Down’s Joelle Bolton Turn a Dream Into a Destination Bar

June 10, 2026

The concept for The Wine Down was developed around a kitchen table by owner Joelle Bolton, her best friend, and her husband. Having spent years working in nightlife and hospitality, they set out to create a bar aligned with their own preferences—one that was approachable, distinctive, and designed with intention rather than trend.

Bolton’s husband played a leading role in shaping the bar’s design. He proposed several unconventional ideas that challenged more traditional approaches. While some of these concepts initially raised questions, they were ultimately incorporated into the final build. Over time, those design choices became defining characteristics of the space and contributed to its differentiation within the local market.

The process of opening the business proved more complex than expected. Bolton underestimated the scope of the licensing and regulatory requirements involved, later noting that navigating the process was more difficult than purchasing a home. During this period, the business was also managing multiple loans tied to both the bar and her husband’s vineyard management company. In December, her husband passed away, adding further complexity to an already demanding operational and financial situation.

To address these challenges, Bolton worked with the Nevada Small Business Development Center, where advisor Donna Corey provided ongoing guidance. The SBDC assisted with reviewing financial options, placing loans on hold, and later consolidating them into more manageable payments. In addition to technical support, Corey served as a consistent point of contact as Bolton evaluated next steps and navigated operational hurdles.

My SBDC advisor was full of good advice, full of positivity. So my relationship with SBDC is not strictly financial – sometimes you just need a sounding board…‘What do I do next?’ or ‘I’ve run into this hurdle, have you seen this before?’ SBDC had great advice for those questions. It’s okay to dream, do it.

Joelle Bolton, Owner of The Wine Down Tweet

Today, The Wine Down is an established business that continues to attract new and returning customers. Bolton frequently encourages others considering entrepreneurship to pursue their ideas and often refers them to the SBDC as a practical resource. The business reflects both careful planning and the support systems that helped bring it to completion.

UplinkRobotics and Wyoming SBDC: Building World-Class Tech in Laramie

June 3, 2026

When University of Wyoming engineering students Christian Bitzas, Oreoluwa Babatunde, and Brady Wagstaff noticed a lack of local tech opportunities, they decided to build something themselves. An idea sparked when Bitzas’s father, a home inspector, needed a safe way to check out tight crawlspaces. While options existed in the inspection vehicle field, the team was confident they could build something better.

With help from UW Business Management graduate Zoë Worthen, the first prototype quickly turned into UplinkRobotics, a startup based in Laramie, Wyoming. Today, they manufacture smart, compact inspection drones capable of taking high-definition pictures and sending back live video. These little crawlers let home inspectors, contractors, and first responders easily see into dangerous, hard-to-reach areas without putting themselves at risk.

Uplink Robotics is giving back to the local community. By partnering with the University of Wyoming, creating paid student internships, and mentoring youth 4-H robotics clubs, they are helping grow the next generation of engineers.

UplinkRobotics received the Spirit of Wyoming award from the SBA District Office in May 2026, for their perseverance, community service, and growth. Proving that you don’t need to live in a massive tech hub to create world-class technology, the company is making tough jobs safer, helping the local economy, and building a tech community right here in Wyoming.

Check out the video below for more information about UplinkRobotics and some of the assistance they have received from Wyoming economic development groups, including the Wyoming SBDC, APEX Accelerator and WSSI Innovation Funding programs.

Congratulations to everyone on the UplinkRobotics team!

Zo’s Mini Donuts Finds the Recipe for Growth with Michigan SBDC

May 27, 2026

For sisters Zoey and Lydia Heyn, the mission of Zo’s Mini Donuts is simple and sweet: bring hot and fresh donuts to the community. What started in 2023 as a single food truck in Sawyer has blossomed into a thriving business with three mobile food trucks and a plan to double that number in the next year. This extraordinary growth, however, presented a new set of challenges for the young entrepreneurs.

The duo was confident in their family recipe and their ability to sell delicious donuts, but they needed guidance on the business aspects of how to grow their company. As they hired more employees, Zoey and Lydia found themselves needing a deeper understanding of financial management and human resources – which is exactly where the Michigan Small Business Development Center came in.

“We applied to our Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber HYPE pitch competition and we actually won,” said Zoe. “When we won, we were given a list of all these resources that we had access to that we didn’t know about.” One of those resources was the Michigan SBDC, which connected them with Southwest Region Senior Business Consultant Wendy Spreenberg.

“What we really needed was things that we couldn’t find on a Google search,” Lydia explained. “We needed contacts for suppliers, we needed contacts for packaging.” Wendy worked with the pair on their financial management, helping them understand cash flow and how to get the most out of their wholesale suppliers. She also provided them with invaluable knowledge and contacts for the behind-the-scenes operations of their business, which made their busy summers run more smoothly.

“Lydia and Zo were tremendously skilled already,” Wendy said. “What I brought to the table was helping them understand a little bit more about their finances.”

With Wendy’s guidance, Zo’s Mini Donuts has been able to win additional competitions, expand its fleet of food trucks, and grow its team to 15 part-time, seasonal employees, with plans for more. The Heyns’ vision is to make Zo’s Mini Donuts a tradition in Southwest Michigan and eventually expand to college campuses and even retail.

“It was just so helpful to have someone to turn to when we hit a wall or we didn’t know what to do next.”

Zoey Heyn, Co-Owner of Zo's Mini Donuts Tweet

The Michigan SBDC is proud to support ambitious young entrepreneurs like the Heyn sisters. Their energy and drive are a perfect example of how a great idea, combined with the right resources, can lead to incredible growth.

“The best thing about working with the Michigan SBDC is working with the clients,” Wendy said. “They have unique stories and unique business approaches. Specifically for Zo’s, they brought the energy, the enthusiasm, the will and the desire – as well as the ambition to get their business not just started, but grown to the next level. I love working with them.”

DeLong’s Gizzard Equipment Expands Export Markets with UGA SBDC Support and Training

May 20, 2026

DeLong’s Gizzard Equipment, a specialty poultry equipment parts manufacturer, has carved out a niche in an industry dominated by one-stop poultry machine shops. When owner Mary DeLong Murray set her sights on expanding her company’s export business five years ago, she turned to the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) for expert advice and training. Today, international sales account for 20% of the firm’s annual revenues.

The Macon-based company provides a full array of poultry processing machinery — offering replacement peeler rollers and parts to rebuild old machines or repair and enhance newly manufactured machines. Its roots stretch back more than 50 years to Murray’s grandfather, Horace DeLong, who originally founded the business in Gainesville as a maintenance service for poultry processing plants before expanding into parts and equipment.

Under the leadership of Murray’s mother, former CEO Pat DeLong, the company contacted Dimitris Kloussiadis at the UGA SBDC’s International Trade Center in the mid-1990s, launching a long-standing partnership that continues to support DeLong’s global growth.

“Pat was invited to attend a trade show in London,” Kloussiadis said. “So, we met, and I helped her identify the top poultry-processing equipment distributors in the United Kingdom. Together, we worked out methods to negotiate pricing and international logistics, and they started exporting.”

Kloussiadis soon identified additional world markets, and Pat DeLong pursued those opportunities aggressively. Within a year, DeLong’s was selling in parts of South America and Canada.

The partnership continued, and by 2021 the Georgia Department of Economic Development honored DeLong’s Gizzard Equipment with a GLOBE Award in recognition of its success in expanding into new markets. Around that same time Murray, who had been with the company since 1997, stepped into her leadership role and began guiding the business into its next phase of growth.

“The SBDC has done several things to help us grow in this area. Dimitris helped us do a detailed worldwide market analysis and provided us with a list on who’s importing most of the products we sell. Then he connected us with the right people. We don’t have to travel anywhere. Dimitris feeds us this information so we can get in touch with the customer.”

Mary DeLong Murray, CEO of Delong's Gizzard Equipment Tweet

Kloussiadis recommended that Murray’s company focus on Colombia and Mexico, the top two markets in Central and South America for poultry processing equipment. He then connected Murray to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Gold Key Service, which provides matches with up to five potential partners in another country. He briefed her on Colombian business and culture before she traveled to meet potential distributors.

“Mary was pleased with all the assistance provided for her preparation and the effectiveness of her first overseas business trip,” he said. “She came back with about four good distributor leads, and we’re working now on following up with companies in Colombia and next, Mexico.”

Murray participated in the UGA SBDC’s ExportGA program in 2021 and found it so helpful she returned with her staff in 2024. Led by the UGA SBDC International Trade Center in partnership with the UGA Terry College of Business, ExportGA is an intensive, four-session course designed to prepare businesses for exporting. Terry College students engage directly with business owners to provide targeted research to support their specific industries.

“ExportGA is hands-on,” Kloussiadis said. “Georgia companies learn how to set their international pricing, work through foreign trade regulations, manage international payment methods and develop an international marketing plan they can readily execute by the completion of the program.”

Murray has used her ExportGA training to introduce new staff to these skills until they, too, can participate in the program.

Exports now stand at 20% of DeLong’s total business, and Murray believes they make a significant contribution to the company’s success.

“Every time we do something to increase our exports, we see at least a one percent increase in sales,” she said. “However, we’re only a small part of what goes into a poultry plant. Many want to buy from a one-stop shop. We specialize, but we got that business. That one percent in a new market makes a difference.”

Murray and Kloussiadis meet every quarter to further explore ways she can maximize the export potential of DeLong’s.

“The more you get into international business, the more you realize the world is smaller than you think it is,” Murray said. “The UGA SBDC gives us the feedback and exposure we need to expand and learn about our product and what it looks like in the international community.”

From the ER to Entrepreneurship: How Wyoming SBDC Helped One Nurse Build a Wellness Community

May 13, 2026

In April 2024, Jacklyn Baker, MSN, FNP-C, launched a venture intended to change the way her community approached healthcare. After years of working in emergency medicine, Baker saw a persistent gap in the industry: a need for care that went beyond treating immediate symptoms. Her vision was to create Routine Aesthetics and Wellness, a med spa where clinical results intersected with personal confidence.

The name “Routine” was chosen with intention. Baker wanted to move away from the idea of “luxury-only” treatments and instead encourage clients to view health optimization and self-care as a standard part of their daily lives. “I wanted to help people understand their bodies, optimize their health, and feel validated instead of overlooked,” she explains. By bridging the gap between internal wellness like hormone balance and IV therapy, and aesthetic treatments, Routine strives to help patients feel like themselves again.

However, the transition from medical provider to business owner came with a steep learning curve. While Baker had the clinical expertise, the business side of things, like payroll, taxes, and licensing, presented a new set of challenges. After being referred by their bank, Baker and her colleague, Derric, began working with Regional Director P.J. Burns from the Wyoming SBDC Network. P.J. provided a roadmap through the often-confusing world of entrepreneurship.

“P.J. became a huge resource and asset, When it came to such confusing business plans, taxes, department of workforce services, sales tax licenses - you name it, she was able to help with it.”

Jacklyn Baker, Owner of Routine Aesthetics and Wellness Tweet

This guidance was instrumental in securing a small business loan to purchase a commercial property on Highway 59. This shared space has since evolved into a comprehensive wellness destination. In addition to Routine Aesthetics and Wellness and Routine Tanning Studio, the facility houses a women’s health clinic, and supports a vibrant community of independent professionals, including massage therapists, estheticians, and cosmetologists.

Since moving to the new location, Routine has grown to serve over 2,000 clients and employs a dedicated staff of eight. For Baker, the most significant milestone isn’t the numbers, but the feedback from those she treats. She recalls realizing the business’s true potential when she consistently heard patients say, “I didn’t know I had the ability to feel this great.”

Scaling the business required significant time and dedication. In April 2026, Baker made the decision to leave her full-time hospital position to focus entirely on her clinic. This shift has allowed her to achieve a better work-life balance while giving her business the focus it requires to thrive.

When asked what advice she would give to others looking to start their own journey, Baker emphasizes the need for grit. “Be ready to be consumed by your business and to put in the VERY HARD work. But know this is temporary while you build something spectacular,” she says. Looking towards the future, Baker plans to keep growing, potentially expanding into a larger facility to ensure every client continues to feel seen, heard, and unstoppable.

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