Archive for category: Success Stories

Skills Development Company Lands Six Figure Contract

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Game On Nation of Manatee County

Skills Development Company Lands Six Figure Contract“It wasn’t until I called Karen [Krymski] at the Florida PTAC at USF that I had the chutzpah to decide to go after government contracts directly,” Blair Bloomston, Vice President of Game On Nation shared.

Game On Nation, based in Bradenton, has become a leading firm in leadership, communication, team building, workplace well-being, and culture development training for some of the most high-profile corporations, professional athletes/teams/leagues, all branches of the U.S. military, as well as active duty and retired military personnel through the United Services Organization (USO) and Wounded Warrior Project.

The company utilizes game theory and experiential learning to inspire participants to not only care about their training goals, but to remember and apply interactive techniques to continuously improve.

After more than 20 years working in the corporate sector and with non-profit partners, Game On Nation was ready to expand its offerings. Bloomston reached out to the Florida PTAC at University of South Florida and Krymski to gain guidance in completing SAM registration and learn how to directly bid on federal contracts through Federal Business Opportunities (FBO).

“Karen’s support has been ongoing and all of the resources at the PTAC have empowered Game On to stay in the federal contracting space,” Bloomston said.

“We’re so proud that in 2018 we were awarded a six-figure contract with a major federal entity and it gave us the chance to build new verticals in the business and to do some historic work in terms of training and professional development, to people at the top of their game.”

After landing a major federal contract, Bloomston plans on continuing to utilize Krymski’s consulting, as well as other services within the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida.

“This resource has been invaluable to us as a small business,” she said. “It’s helped us create exponential growth, new verticals, new initiatives, new programs, and more than that, it’s about the personal connection and having somebody on call who can provide moral support and guidance. I can’t recommend Florida PTAC at USF highly enough.”

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Sarasota-based Fish Camp Utilizes Bridge Loan to Keep Swimming

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North Jetty Fish Camp of Sarasota County

Sarasota-based Fish Camp Utilizes Bridge Loan to Keep SwimmingThe North Jetty Fish Camp, originally the Trolley “Nebraska” brought to Casey Key in 1946 on a barge from Tampa, provides bait, tackle, snack food, drinks and occasional entertainment to fishermen, recreational boaters and regular patrons. The Tap & Grill Beach Concession, opened in 2014, provides a full menu food and beverage selection to beachgoers and visitors to the county park. Joyce and Gary Durbin were hit hard by the Red Tide disaster. Already having to have laid off a staff of 14, the duo needed a way to continue to meet obligations until things turn around. They reached out to the Florida SBDC at USF to begin the process of applying for a State of Florida Emergency Bridge Loan.

When asked about their experience with the damage from Red Tide and the assistance received, they recalled:

WHAT TYPE OF DAMAGE OCCURRED?
Our damage is economical. All of our seating is outside. Our business is totally dependent on the weather conditions. First the unusually heavy infestation of ¡°love bugs,¡± then three weeks of non-stop rain and now this long environmental disaster of Red Tide have kept the beachgoers, boaters and tourists, who we depend on, away from the park. Our revenue has been drastically reduced due to the extreme conditions, with no relief in sight. However, we still have existing and ongoing obligations which we have been hard pressed to meet. We employ a staff of 14 who we have had to lay off impacting their livelihoods.

HOW WILL THE BRIDGE LOAN HELP?
As a local business owner, impacted by unforeseen natural disaster, the Emergency Bridge Loan will be very useful in the short term. It will provide the working capital that will allow our business to hang on and survive through this lingering difficult time.

HOW WAS THE FLORIDA SBDC AT USF HELPFUL DURING THIS PROCESS?
Pat, our facilitator, is knowledgeable, friendly and upfront. It was refreshing to know what was going on throughout each step of the loan process. She made a big difference. She is a real expert, committed to helping and assisting us in this difficult time.

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New Sarasota-based Restaurant to Survive with Bridge Loan

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Chef Rolf’s New Florida Kitchen of Sarasota County

New Sarasota-based Restaurant to Survive with Bridge LoanAfter being the head chef at his family’s restaurant in Nokomis for more than 15 years, Rolf Zahnd owner and operator of Chef Rolf’s New Florida Kitchen, was looking forward to opening his own restaurant in Sarasota. Shortly after opening New Florida Kitchen in May, Red Tide arrived. This presented a unique challenge for an upscale restaurant specializing in locally-sourced seafood. With patrons hesitant to dine on seafood for now, Chef Rolf needed a way to get through until customers can return. He reached out to the Florida SBDC at USF to begin the process of applying for a State of Florida Emergency Bridge Loan.
When asked about his experience with the damage from red tide and the assistance received, Zahnd recalled:

WHAT TYPE OF DAMAGE OCCURRED?
Due to Red Tide, we have lost business because nobody wants to eat fresh Florida seafood.

HOW WILL THE BRIDGE LOAN HELP?
This loan will be helpful in getting us through this tough time and securing our
employees jobs.

HOW WAS THE FLORIDA SBDC AT USF HELPFUL DURING THIS PROCESS?
Absolutely great.

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Contracting Business Earns Government Contracts

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McKenzie Contracting LLC of Hillsborough County

Contracting Business Earns Government Contracts Dan Fernandez has been in construction for 39 years and has had the opportunity to start and grow his own business in McKenzie Contracting LLC. McKenzie Contracting is a heavy civil contractor with an emphasis on site work and underground utilities.

The business was formed approximately six years ago and is based in Tampa. Customers include the federal government, municipalities, airports, and private sector entities.

Fernandez reached out to the Chamber of Commerce to assist with the growth of McKenzie Contracting. That’s where he started working with Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County business consultant Corey McCaster.

“It was a blessing because we had a down year in 2017 where our revenue stream was probably a million dollars below our sweet spot, and as of January 8, 2018, we started construction on over five million dollars’ worth of work,” Fernandez said.

McCaster assisted Fernandez in helping McKenzie Contracting get the necessary financial assistance and create a strategic plan to get the company back on its feet.

McCaster was also able to assist Fernandez with getting $4.2 million in government contracts so McKenzie Contracting could implement their plans for the upcoming year.

“I feel having him aboard with me will keep me focused, keep me on the right track,” Fernandez said. “I have some opportunity to diversify in some other business and they brought me right back in line to say let’s get McKenzie Contracting solid. Let’s get them stable, and that’s what’s been a blessing to me.”

Moving forward, Fernandez plans to continue consulting with McCaster to assist the business with future growth plans, and to make sure they stay on track with existing plans.

“Corey is like my informal board of directors,” Fernandez said. “I have an old saying ‘It’s very lonely at the top.’ I’m a pretty spontaneous entrepreneur and there’s been some pluses with that and some negatives. Going forward, I don’t want to go backwards, so I feel having him aboard with me will keep me focused; keep me on the right track.”

“I’ve been at this for 39 years and I still have deficiencies,” he added. “The most important thing to me is to now have that person that I can go to and before I make that quantum leap, I can now go and pick up the phone and talk to Corey or send him an email and that’s been an asset to me.”

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Mortgage Company Finding Its Spot in the Marketplace

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Gulfside Mortgage Services of Sarasota County

Mortgage Company Finding Its Spot in the MarketplaceMichelle and Tony Moore took over Gulfside Mortgage Services eight years ago in 2010 after having worked for the previous business owners since 2003.

Not having a specific direction for the business, they sought out Florida SBDC at USF business consultant Pat Gordon to get assistance with figuring out where the business stood in the marketplace and what the company can do to grow.

“It really opened our eyes to what capability we have to grow in our industry, what the industry has to show us, or what we have to compare to it,” Tony said.

Gordon helped the couple by creating Growth Acceleration Phase I and II reports for the business. The reports included a detailed financial analysis and strategies for sustained growth.

These reports helped them figure out where they stood against their competitors and allowed them to look at exact numbers instead of ball parking the figures.

“One of my favorite parts about it was the breakeven mark, where it actually showed what we had to make in order to break even so we could see what we need to work on for our growth,” Tony said.

The reports compared Gulfside Mortgage to its competitors and gave them a better understanding of what they needed to do.

“Being new in business and having absolutely no experience whatsoever in running a business, we just took it over and figured it out as we went along,” Michelle said. “This report that we did that was very, very detailed really showed us everything that we were doing, things we were doing right and things we needed to improve on.”

While working with the Florida SBDC at USF, Gulfside Mortgage Services has grown 33 percent compared to the previous year.

“Our business is up 33 percent since last year on our total volume. Basically, it showed us a lot of different ways to do things,” Tony added.

Instead of running their business like it was just another job, they were able to run it as a business, which promoted its growth.

“One of the things that we are working on that we got out of it, and we’ve been putting the most into, is not working for the business but working on the business,” Tony said.

Moving forward, Gulfside Mortgage Services plans to have quarterly meetings. They are also planning on updating the company’s website to better serve their clients.

To other business owners, they’d recommend seeking out the Florida SBDC at USF, especially if they are unsure of where the business stands in their specific marketplace.

“Patricia is amazing, and I would say if you don’t know where you stand in your business, then it is a great program to help you understand where you are in your business,” Michelle said.

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Pharmacist Receives Loan Assistance to Keep Her Business Healthy

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Health Matters Pharmacy of Hillsborough County

Pharmacist Receives Loan Assistance to Keep Her Business HealthyDr. Vondalyn Crawford started Health Matters Pharmacy because she felt there was a void in East Tampa. Health Matters Pharmacy is the only pharmacy within a four-mile radius, and therefore, provides needed care and medication for locals.

The pharmacy offers multiple services including one-on-one patient care, delivery, over-the-counter medications, and transferring services to process prescriptions to other pharmacies if needed.

“I’m here to serve the community,” Crawford said. “I’ve been a pharmacist in the area for around 20 years.”

After being open for approximately three months, Crawford reached out to Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County business consultant Corey McCaster for financial assistance.

“One of the things that Corey helped me do…He sat down and figured out what my financial needs were and he helped me do a profit and loss and do a whole application with TD Bank in order to secure the financing,” Crawford said.

Before working with the Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County, Crawford paid for consulting from other organizations and had been denied for a loan.

“I went to Carol at an event and went to work with Corey, and everything has turned around,” Crawford said. “Now I have the funding I need to keep my business going.”

Crawford was aware that many businesses fail in the first year due to financing issues. Thanks to the loan she received with the help of the Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County, Health Matters Pharmacy was able to keep their doors open and continue providing needed services for the community.

“My biggest success so far is opening up,” Crawford said. “They’re just so grateful to have me in the neighborhood. Being able to help people that would otherwise not receive the medications that they need is rewarding.”

Moving forward, Crawford and McCaster will be working on marketing efforts for Health Matters Pharmacy. McCaster has already provided Crawford with helpful information to that end.

“I learned that marketing is a whole different ball game and I’m so anxious and happy to work with him because he has the resources,” Crawford said. “He’s very resourceful in knowing how to get to our [target] customer. One of the things I thought was that everybody was my customer, and he made me realize that ‘no, we need to be more targeted.’”

When speaking to her friends who are interested in opening their own business, Crawford recommends working with Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County, especially for those who are just starting out.

“If you go there when you want to start, they’ll help you through the business plan part,” Crawford started. “They’ll help you with the financial parts that you might not understand, and marketing is a big part that they’ll help you with. I’ll say to anybody who’s even thinking about opening a business…use those resources. It’s been one of the best things for my business.”

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Local Music Distribution Company Participates in Trade Mission

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Symphonic Distribution of Pasco County

Consultant

As a past independent artist himself, no one knows better how far passion and vision can take you than Jorge Brea. Brea, founder and president of Symphonic Distribution launched his business in 2006. Symphonic Distribution is a digital music distribution company that works with independent artists to help get their music on Spotify, Amazon, Pandora and various other outlets all over the world.

“I wanted to join the industry because I also used to make music and I always wanted to get it out there and it wasn’t a very easy thing at the time to do that,” he said. “I started to see a trend that digital distribution was kind of on the up and up and I thought to myself ‘this would be a great way to get my music out there.’ Once I did that I started to realize I could very much help out other musicians, record labels, all over the world.”

Brea was initially attracted to the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida because of the variety of services it has to offer to entrepreneurs. Brea found the depth of experience within the consultants at the Florida SBDC at USF intriguing. “As a business owner, I think it’s always important to be open-minded and to take advice and seek guidance from those that have done it and I think the SBDC has a tremendous amount of people who have that experience, which is one of the big motivators as to why I wanted to work with them,” he said.

Most recently, Symphonic Distribution took advantage of the Export Marketing Plan (EMP) services available at the organization. The Export Marketing Plan is a detailed report that helps to identify potential markets for businesses looking to expand internationally.

He says the EMP has enabled the company to look at potential markets. “Having this type of information, at a cost-effective price, is naturally going to help me run the business better and make better decisions towards where we can allocate funds,” he said of the EMP.

As a result, Brea recently took part in a trade mission trip to Mexico City. He said the mission was a great experience for him and his direct reports. “It enabled us to understand a growing market that has huge potential for us and gave us better clarity over the potential expansion plans that we have,” Brea said. Given that our customer life cycle can at times be long, we haven’t seen immediate ROI from it however, what it did do is help set us up with potential relationships that can lead to other relationships.”
Consultant
Symphonic Distribution now services more than 10,000 record labels and artists, and has seen a growth of 30 to 40 percent in revenue since working with the Florida SBDC at USF.

Looking back to when he came to the United States from the Dominican Republic at just seven years old, he recalls the education he received in corporate America as helping him initially launch his business, but he also acknowledges that including others with experience is a key factor to success.

“I didn’t really go to college or anything after high school, but I did at least have an education in corporate America and that education is what sort of helped me to launch my business, but it only really happens if you are dedicated and you work hard and you have good morals, you’re humble, and you’re able to take advice,” Brea said. “I’d recommend the SBDC and the various programs to any business. In fact, I already have.”

He added that the Florida SBDC at USF consultants, “are easy to work with, down to earth but, do a great job and deliver nothing but quality. I think every business owner serious about growing their business should really utilize the programs from the SBDC because it is an extension of your existing team and effectively, are strategic partners, that isn’t easy to have and/or pay for if you are a bootstrapped business in the beginning.”

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Citrus Grove Stays Afloat with Bridge Loan

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7 S Bar of Polk County

7 S Bar7 S Bar, located in Fort Meade, is a citrus and vegetable business operated by James Parker. Like many other citrus growers in the state of Florida, approximately 50 percent of the crop was wiped out in the aftermath of the hurricane. Parker, in an effort to keep the groves operating until the next crop could be cultivated, decided to apply for a State of Florida Emergency Bridge Loan with the assistance of the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida.

When asked about his experience with the storm and the assistance received, Parker recalled:

What type of damage occurred?
Most of the damage was with the citrus and we figure we lost 50 percent of the orange crop with the hurricane. They were on the ground. Right through the center of state where we’re at was the worst. The price of citrus is good but we don’t have any – well we’ve got 50 percent.

How will the Bridge Loan help?
I’m gonna use it to buy materials and fertilizers and labor for the grove until we can produce a crop, which will be a year from now.

How was the Florida SBDC at USF helpful during this process?
Carl was very good…it was a long deal to get it but you gotta keep going.

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Statewide Grove Recouping with Bridge Loan

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Story Grove Service of Polk County

Story GroveGroves across the state of Florida experienced significant losses after Hurricane Irma made landfall in September 2017. The physical damages left crops on the grounds and put future crops in jeopardy. Story Grove Service, Inc., is just one of those many properties that took a hit. Story Grove is an agricultural service company that owns and manages nearly 7,000 acres of citrus, peach and blueberry crops in Central and South Florida.

With crops damaged and future crops in jeopardy, vice president, Kyle Story, decided to take advantage of the State of Florida Citrus Bridge Loan Program. To do this, he sought assistance from the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida.

When asked about his experience with the storm and the assistance received, he recalled:

What type of damage occurred?
During Hurricane Irma, we experienced significant crop losses statewide. We also lost a significant portion of our leaves, and trees and branches. So we have felt the impacts statewide.

How will the Bridge Loan help?
The Citrus Emergency Loan Program is going to be an excellent resource for us to utilize to help offset those losses of the crop and losses of future crops due to leave loss and branch loss so it’s an excellent program that’s been very timely.

How was the Florida SBDC at USF helpful during this process?
We had an excellent experience with the SBDC and our local representative Carl Hadden did a great job. It was painless, tireless and very uncomplicated.

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Loan Allows Daycare to Keep Children A Priority

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Higher Learning Academy of Polk County

Higher LearningChild care is something people get into because they have a passion for education and teaching children. That was the case for Betty Bent, owner of Higher Learning Academy of Central Florida, located in Lake Wales. Bent cherishes the 45 kids, ages six weeks to 10-years-old, that are under her care on a daily basis. As one can imagine, when Hurricane Irma swept through the area in September 2017, it left the Academy at a stand-still, as the playground area no longer met state standards.

That’s when Bent decided she needed to reach out for some assistance to get things running again. She decided to apply for a State of Florida Emergency Bridge Loan, with the assistance of the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida.

When asked about her experience with the storm and the assistance received, she recalled:

What type of damage occurred?
We lost a lot of outside toys. We lost a lot of mulch and dirt foundation. With DCF, you have to have a certain number of inches in mulch. We had damage where water came into the building. It damaged some of the book casings and it damaged some of the ceiling tiles. We lost all the food we had in the building because we had no power for five days.

How will the Bridge Loan help?
The money from the Bridge loan program will help our business recovery because now I’ll be able to go out and get better structured toys and I can go out and redo the playground and get it up to standards for DCF. It’s going to help us a lot as we proceed with the business.

How was the Florida SBDC at USF helpful during this process?
This has been a nice process from the beginning. The application for the loan was very simple. It was easy to apply and understand. My representative explained everything page for page when I was signing. He even gave me some tips as to how to save in the next six months to be able to pay the money back in a timely manner.

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