Florida SBDC at USF to Celebrate National SBDC Day March 20
by Stacey Dadd | March 7, 2019
TAMPA, FL – The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at University of South Florida will celebrate the third annual SBDC Day Wednesday, March 20, 2019. SBDC Day is a national movement to help share the small business success stories and notable impact SBDCs have fostered in communities nationwide.
In celebration of National SBDC Day, the Florida SBDC at USF will host a Meet the Small Business Experts event at Representative Susan Valdes’ office, located at 2221 N. Himes Avenue, Suite B, in Tampa, from 5 to 8 p.m. on March 20. The event will be free and attendees will have the opportunity to speak with experts in the areas of capital access, business certification, international trade, and marketing. Registration is required at bit.ly/meet-the-experts-sbdcday. Attendees are invited to drop in for just a few minutes or stay for the evening.
“SBDC Day is an important time to reflect on all of the in-depth services that are provided to the small business community by our professionally credentialed consultants throughout our 10-county region,” Eileen Rodriguez, Regional Director of the Florida SBDC at USF said. “It gives us the opportunity to continue to connect with our strategic partners so that we can all service the small business community.”
With nearly 1,000 locations across the country, SBDCs provide local businesses and entrepreneurs with the resources needed to succeed. In 2017, America’s SBDC clients experienced annual sales growth of 18.1% almost 4.5 times more 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.
“SBDC clients give their SBDCs 4.5 out of 5 stars and 92 percent of SBDC clients recommend their SBDCs to other small businesses. With nearly 40 years of expertise, proven ROI and stellar client ratings it’s clear that America’s SBDCs are the nation’s most trusted small business resource.” Charles “Tee” Rowe, President & CEO of America’s SBDC, said.
Hosted by the University of South Florida, Florida SBDC at USF provides aspiring and existing small businesses in Desoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties with no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and access to business data and research resources. In addition to its core service offering, the Florida SBDC at USF also offers specialized services to qualifying companies, including capital access, market growth, government contracting, international trade, business continuation, cybersecurity, disaster planning and recovery, and more.
To learn more about SBDC Day, please visit www.AmericasSBDC.org/SBDCDay.
About the Florida SBDC Network:
For over forty years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy. Since 2011, Florida SBDCs have provided 513,107 hours of professional business consulting to 74,669 client businesses, resulting in 252,955 jobs created, retained, or saved; $33.3 billion in sales growth; $2.6 billion in government contract awarded; $1.4 billion in capital investments acquired; and 4,159 new businesses started. A statewide network of over 40 offices, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a 2016 recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
About America’s SBDC: America’s SBDC (Small Business Development Center) Network is a partnership uniting private enterprise, government, higher education and local nonprofit economic development organizations. It is the Small Business Administration’s largest partnership program, providing management and technical assistance to help Americans start, run and grow their own businesses. Learn more at www.americassbdc.org.
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