Success Stories

Glass Blowing Operation Utilizes
Vermont SBDC Advisor Support

Combining art, utility and passion into a viable business can be a serious challenge. Few know that better than Rich Arentzen and Tove Ohlander, owners of AO Glass LLC, a production glass studio in the heart of Burlington’s Pine Street arts district. Still, they decided to tackle that challenge “in order to take a passion and turn it into a sustainable business,” Arentzen said.

But they didn’t have to do it alone. Arentzen and Ohlander looked to Vermont Small Business Development Center Area Advisor Steve Densham “in order to blow glass while making a living,” Arentzen said. The company needed better planning skills and better focus on core business matters and “existential goals,” Arentzen said. They also sought a better understanding of accessing capital, business growth and business life cycle, he said. (more…)

Success Story: Vermont

‘Serial Entrepreneur’ Relies on VtSBDC Advising for Start-Up Support

A self- described “serial entrepreneur,” Caleb Magoon, knows a lot about doing business in Vermont. “I am always looking for my next business opportunity,” he said. And when he saw downtown Waterbury businesses rebuilding in the years after the massive flooding of 2011, another opportunity showed itself.

“We knew the community was hungry for a store,” Magoon said. And he delivered, opening Waterbury Sports at 46 South Main Street last summer. “I started this business because the possibility for a sporting goods store in Waterbury was a tremendous opportunity and something I had been looking at for a while,” he said. “Waterbury is a fantastic town riding a wave of momentum following its rebuilding after Hurricane Irene.”

The retail store offers a vast array of sporting goods and recreation products that rotate seasonally. In spring and summer products include bikes and accessories, lacrosse, baseball, soccer and disc golf products, among other things. In winter, the store focuses on alpine and cross country ski products, as well as snowboards, hockey supplies, winter outerwear, snowshoes and more.  (more…)

Success Story: Montana

After retiring from the Air Force, Thad and Heidi Reiste returned to Great Falls and bought a local coffee shop. They purchased the recipes and equipment, relocated downtown and re-branded, then came to the Great Falls Regional SBDC for help. This is the fourth in a series of videos by the Montana SBDCs, showcasing businesses that worked with their local SBDCs to jumpstart business success!

In honor of National Small Business Week, America’s SBDC hosted it’s first ever Twitter Chat on May 4th, “10 Most Common Small Business Questions.” 

@ASBDC served as the chat “moderator and posted questions every few minutes using the hashtag, #SBDC.  Checkout our Q&A below:

Q1: Do I have what it takes to own a small business? #SBDC 

CTSBDC ‏‪@growCT

Maybe you do, Maybe you don’t. Start by validating your business assumptions @SBDC

Sandra Cochrane ‏‪@scochrane

‪@ASBDC‪ A1. You won’t know until you try! But planning is key. Don’t jump in w/o knowledge of market and finances. #SBDC. (more…)

Congratulations to West Virginia SBDC client Diana Lewis Jackson, President and CEO of Action Facilities Management based in Morgantown, West Virginia. Her company is the 2016 SBA 8(a) Graduate of the Year.

AFM, a company that Diana started in her Monongalia County basement 15 years ago, now employs more than 250 people in 11 states and Washington, D.C. Mostly federal agencies are clients of the site support contractor.

“We provide armed and unarmed security guard services and, for the facilities or buildings, we provide operations and maintenance services, complete janitorial services and, on the exterior, we provide grounds, maintenance and snow removal,” she explained.

“The ‘action’ part was because we wanted to be proactive and the ‘facilities management’ is because we wanted the customers to focus on what they were actually going to do for their business and we would take care of their facilities.”  (more…)