Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)
T
he Utah Small Business Development Center (SBDC) strives to strengthen Utah’s economic fabric and quality of life by facilitating the success and prosperity of small business endeavors. The Utah SBDC network consists of business consultants, trainers, educators and support staff operating statewide from Utah’s state colleges and universities. The Utah host for the SBDC program is Salt Lake Community College, with regional host institutions at College of Eastern Utah (Price and Blanding), Davis ATC, Dixie State College, Snow College (Ephraim and Richfield), Southern Utah University, Utah State University (Logan and Vernal), Utah Valley University, and Weber State University. Other key stakeholders include the State of Utah Governors Office of Economic Development and the US Small Business Administration. Key goals include providing significant in depth assistance to entrepreneur clients (including pre-startup), that help the client increase sales, profits and jobs, and long-term sustainable business practices. This is accomplished through in-depth training, one-to-one free counseling and constantly working with clients to find other resources that can help. Two recent success stories reflect the depth of service and impact available to over 2,300 counseling clients per year across the state. Applied Composite Technology Aerospace ACTA is an SBA HUB Zone small business. As an AS9100 registered company, ACTA is a producer of hand lay-up, autoclave cured composite aircraft and rotorcraft parts that further enhance the survivability of the nation’s warfighters. These parts support the manufacturing of both the H-1 helicopters and the V-22 tilt rotors produced by Bell Helicopter for the U.S. Marines. In July of 2007, ACTA entered into the Department of Defense’s Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) with Bell Helicopter as the Mentor. Six months later, upon needing additional assistance, ACTA became a client of the Utah Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Snow College. At Bell Helicopter’s request, the SBDC agreed to serve as a Mentor-Protégé program partner and committed significant time and resources to helping ACTA meet numerous objectives outlined in their developmental plan. The magnitude of required assistance necessitated the SBDC’s orchestration of various resource providers and experts.
A U.S. V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft flies a test mission.
Governor’s Office of Economic Development • Annual Report 2009
Mark Holmes, MBA – SBDC regional director and SBA’s 2002 Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year. Gary Harter – Managing Director for the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development’s Business Creation Team. Dr. William Pratt, PhD in Mechanical Engineering – Director of USTAR’s Southern Utah Technology Outreach program. David K. Sorensen – Executive Director of Utah’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). Dr. Quinn G. McKay, D.B.A from Harvard – Vice President of Strategic Development for STAR consulting.
51
