Success Stories

Success Story: Idaho –

Matt Kent became interested in optometry as a 19-year-old, while serving as a volunteer at eye camps for under-served populations in India.

In 2015, he and his wife Becky started working with the Twin Falls CSI Small Business Development Center on a business plan for his own practice, closer to home. Since many grants and loan forgiveness programs available for rural areas are not offered to optometrists, support from the Idaho SBDC was important to Dr. Kent’s efforts to provide local eye care and employment in his small community. (more…)

The nation’s largest, proven, cost effective small business assistance program invites you to the celebration!

For almost 40 years the America’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network has helped aspiring and emerging small business owners achieve the American dream of entrepreneurship. Today, March 20, SBDCs from around the country are coming together for one special day to celebrate their work, their impact, and most importantly, their clients — America’s small businesses.

With nearly 1,000 locations across the country, SBDCs provide local businesses and entrepreneurs with the resources to succeed. In 2017, America’s SBDC clients experienced annual sales growth of 18.1%, almost 4.5 times greater than the national average. SBDC assistance resulted in 93,471 jobs created; $7 billion in sales growth; $5.9 billion in capital investments; and 14,716 new businesses started. (more…)

Success Story: Wisconsin –

Katrina and Jason Julian want to feed your family affordable, delicious, healthy dairy and beef products. Three generations, from Jason’s mom to the Julians’ three sons, work in the family business.

The Julians raise certified organic, grass-fed and grass-finished Fleckvieh cattle, a breed remarkable for its suitability for both meat and milk production. The Julians’ horses are just as remarkable: their team of American Brabants (a relative of the Belgian draft horse) takes the place of tractors for much of the farmwork.

Katrina and Jason, who both grew up on farms and met in the agricultural program at UW-River Falls, began farming conventionally when they bought a dairy farm in 1996. But a desire for a lifestyle more in line with their family values led to a switch in 2007. (more…)

America’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), SBDC leaders, advisors, clients, partners, and stakeholders gathered on Capitol Hill for the fifth annual Client Showcase and Reception on Tuesday, February 12. Representative Steve Chabot of Ohio, Ranking Member of the Committee on Small Business, addressed the reception guests. Several of his colleagues also visited the reception, in which America’s SBDC Network showcased 11 SBDC clients from across the country.

The SBDC clients were Butter Cloth (California), Atlantic Models, Inc. (Florida), Nymbl Systems (Kentucky), Jordan Research and Development, LLC (Maryland), Inductive Intelligence LLC (Michigan), DogSpot (New York), Whites Energy Services, LLC (Oklahoma), Extremiti3D (South Carolina), Port City Brewing Company (Virginia), FLEXHIBIT (Washington), and JesterLine (West Virginia).

“America’s SBDCs are proud to play a critical role in the health of small businesses. The success of our clients is a sign of the shared hard work of our advisers and our clients. For almost 40 years, small businesses have been going to their local SBDCs, building relationships, and getting the training, financing and expertise they need to thrive,” said Charles “Tee” Rowe, President & CEO of America’s SBDC. (more…)

JesterLine (@JesterLineGT)
Countdown to the 2019 Client Showcase: #1

SBDC: West Virginia SBDC – Upshur County EDA Center (wvsbdc.com)
SBDC Advisor: Susannah Higgins.

JesterLine is West Virginia’s first high-end gaming technology and innovation center. It specializes in bringing the newest gaming technologies for all ages to the surrounding community, staying up-to-date with technology trends and advancements.

JesterLine offers customers a safe, family-friendly environment where they can experience the best that modern gaming has to offer, including competition with other gamers, both locally and globally through its network platform. It also gives its customers the opportunity to build necessary skills through computer-based training. It provides options for K-12 technology solutions and SMB services, with IT consultations, hardware and software solutions, and repairs. (more…)