America’s SBDC Blog

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Success Story: Indiana

March 12, 2014

State: Indiana
Center: Southeast ISBDC
Client: Fred Daniels, VP Operations of Uni-Ref/United Refractories

Trevor Lane with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation contacted SEISBDC business advisor, Kelly Will in 2012 with regard to a company seeking to move their operations from Ohio to Indiana.  As there were incentives associated with the project, Will was asked to perform a financial analysis on the company and worked with Vice President of Operations, Fred Daniels.

Uni-Ref, a subsidiary of United Refractories Co., designs innovative, durable refractories with a focus on customer-specific needs and application.  United Refractories was founded in 1973 by Raymond Niesen who later started a manufacturing facility (Uni-Ref) in Cincinnati in 1882.   By 2011, they had outgrown their current facilities in Sharonville, Ohio and had a need for more space. Current expansion of the Sharonville plant was explored as well as moving to another larger facility.

After looking at many sites and reviewing their expansion options, an existing facility in Brookville/Franklin County, Indiana became the best option for the company’s needs. The down side of this was the cost of reconfiguring their production lines to fit the building and the cost of moving their operation.  However this larger facility in Brookville allowed Uni-Ref to expand its current production capabilities and has also allowed Uni-Ref to consolidate other manufacturing and warehousing operations into one location. (more…)

Write an Epic Site: Tell Your Story to Make Sales

March 11, 2014

Writing website content is something everyone can do, but a story is something your visitors and customers can connect with—and nobody can tell it better than you. Your customers are on your website for a reason, they want to know more about you.

Take your visitors on a journey by sharing values that were shaped through personal experiences—a struggle, breakthrough, or success story. Dig deep and show them the passion, dedication, and experience that make your business stand out from the rest.

Be a Storyteller

Everyone has a story, and every story has a beginning, middle and end – a journey from where you started and what you’ve been through, to where you are now.  Think about how your business got started or why you do what you do. By adding a personal touch to your website and by giving it a friendly vibe, your customers will feel welcome. (more…)

Success Story: Ohio

March 5, 2014

State: Ohio
Center: Ohio SBDC
Client: K & J Web Designs

K & J Web Designs is a small web design firm located in Cincinnati. The firm builds attractive, engaging websites for local small businesses and nonprofits, and offers consulting on Search Engine Optimization and social media management. Founder Kris Jones learned web design while working on a separate project that helps recent graduates as they enter into the workplace, but as he became a more competent web designer people began requesting his services.

He continued designing and partnered with a friend to start K & J Web Designs. They reached out to the Small Business Development Center in Cincinnati and met with SBDC advisor Karla Boldery. She helped them create a business plan and set measurable goals for various aspects of the business. (more…)

5 Things You Need to Do to Take Your Business Paperless

March 4, 2014

Have you ever noticed an airline pilot lugging a black briefcase on their way to the next flight?  Those briefcases aren’t filled with personal effects, but are 40-pound flight kits containing charts, maps, manuals and guides.

Delta Airlines recently made a move to replace those bulky flight kits for its 11,000 pilots by giving them each an electronic flight bag in the form of a Microsoft Surface 2 tablet. The cockpit will now be a paperless workspace for Delta pilots, with all Delta cockpits projected to be paperless by the end of 2014.

The concept of the paperless workspace – whether it’s a cockpit, a cubicle, a reception area or remote jobsite – is exciting for numerous reasons: reduced clutter, improved data security, cost savings and environmental benefits, to name a few. Here are 5 steps you need to take to begin creating your version of the paperless cockpit:

1. Clear out the clutter. Determine which of your documents are worth digitizing, and which are not, and discard what’s not necessary. (more…)

Success Story: Florida

February 26, 2014

State: Florida
Center: SBDC/VBOC at UWF Pensacola FL at Gulf Coast State College
Client: Jennifer Clark
Business Name: Back to Center Wellness Associates

Author Jennifer Clark served nearly eleven years as a Physician Assistant in the United States Air Force. She has written and published a book “166 Days: My Journey Through the Darkness.” In 2008 she was deployed to Afghanistan; she was assigned to a team of Green Berets as the leader of a Female Treatment Team where her mission was to treat local nationals and run the clinic.

The clinic was located on the border of the firebase, separated only by barbed wire and a checkpoint guarded by local Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldiers. Not much shielded Clark and her team from the unknown dangers of the Middle East. Her covert mission was to gain information on her patients that could be used in the war. She gathered intelligence while treating local Afghans, who would often travel for days to seek treatment. Due to the lack of infrastructure and perils of war, many of her patients had nowhere else to turn for life threatening conditions. (more…)