Mayor Bob Buckhorn Proclaims March 22 SBDC Day
Nation’s Largest Business Assistance Network Invites Small Businesses,
Communities Nationwide to Join the Celebration
by Stacey Dadd | March 20, 2017
Yanina Rosario, Associate Director of the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida, poses with Michele Phillips, representative from Mayor Bob Buckhorns office, with the newly minted proclamation for SBDC Day.
TAMPA – Business has changed dramatically over the last 37 years, and the America’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network has been there throughout. Since 1980, America’s SBDCs—the nation’s largest business assistance network—have helped aspiring and emerging small business owners achieve the American dream of entrepreneurship.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn recently signed a proclamation officially designating Wednesday, March 22 as Small Business Development Centers Day in Tampa, recognizing and thanking “the Small Business Development Center at USF for its impact on the economic success of our region.”
In 2016, the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida dedicated 16,124 hours of no-cost business consulting hours to 1,636 small business owners throughout the Tampa Bay region. The Center also provided 328 training events in the region. This high-quality service to businesses has resulted in 59,957 jobs being created, retained or saved over the past five years. In addition, Florida SBDC at USF small business clients have generated $8.1B in sales, acquired $250.8M in government contracts and accessed $143.7M in investment capital, over that same time period.
To celebrate the collective impact and success SBDCs have across the nation and in local communities each year, America’s SBDCs will hold the first SBDC Day on March 22. SBDC Day is a national movement to help share the small business success stories and notable impact SBDCs have fostered in communities nationwide.
Joining the Celebration
Social media will play a central role in the promotion and celebration of SBDC Day. Small businesses, partners, and advocates are invited to help spread the word about SBDC Day using the hashtag #SBDCDay. On March 22, participants are encouraged to share how their local SBDC has created a difference in their life and community. SBDCs nationwide will collectively share, in real time, the success stories and notable impacts SBDCs collectively have on the small business community at large. This special day will also be celebrated through public relations initiatives, campaigns, and online and in-person events.
“We have been working hard to inform small to medium enterprises about just how expansive our services are here in the Tampa Bay region,” Stacey Dadd, marketing and communications officer at the Florida SBDC at USF, said. “This is a perfect opportunity for clients, stakeholders and partners to step out of the shadows and share their love of the SBDC with others in their communities.”
“SBDC Day is more than a one-day event,” Michael W. Myhre, America’s SBDC board chairman, said. “By celebrating small businesses and supporting SBDCs on SBDC Day and year-round, everyone can play a part in strengthening our nation’s economy.”
To learn more about SBDC Day, and to join the movement, 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 emerging and established business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for the state. Since 2011, Florida SBDCs have provided 401,475 hours of consulting to 45,502 client businesses, resulting in 217,849 jobs created, retained and saved; $29.3 billion in sales growth; $2.1 billion in government contract awards; $947.4 million in capital investments; and 3,857 new businesses started. A statewide network of over 40 centers, 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, with the University of West Florida serving as the network’s designated lead host institution. The Florida SBDC Network is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
About America’s SBDC and Small Business Development Centers:
America’s SBDC represents the Nation’s 63 Small Business Development Centers, a national network of partnerships uniting higher education, state and local nonprofit economic development organizations, private enterprise and government. 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.
