Wells Fargo; BankUnited award business development grants to Florida SBDC at USF region
[TAMPA] November 13, 2018 – BankUnited and Wells Fargo have awarded the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida and Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development, $39,000 in grant funding to continue their work with businesses in the region.
Pictured (BankUnited): Claire Raley, senior vice president and community development officer at BankUnited, presents a $24,000 grant to Florida SBDC at USF regional director, Eileen Rodriguez.
“Support from BankUnited and Wells Fargo allows us to provide much needed no-cost services to businesses,” Eileen Rodriguez, Florida SBDC at USF regional director said, “which helps revitalize and strengthen our communities.”
BankUnited awarded $24,000, to be split between the two centers. Florida SBDC at PCED will use the funds to offer Where’s My Profit?, a three-hour course that covers how decisions made before and after a sale affect profitability, at no-cost to entrepreneurs.
The Florida SBDC at USF will use its portion of the funding to offer the no-cost Retail Academy in Sarasota county. The Retail Academy is a multi-session course that provides retailers, and other businesses, with information and training on marketing, advertising, merchandising and customer service.
Pictured (Wells Fargo): Scott Morrison, senior director of development at University of Florida’s Muma College of Business, and Eileen Rodriguez, Florida SBDC at USF regional director, accept a $15,000 check from Machelle Maner, vice president of community development at Wells Fargo.
Wells Fargo awarded $15,000 to the Florida SBDC at USF to be utilized in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties to continue offering no-cost consulting and training opportunities.
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 513,107 hours of consulting to 74,669 client businesses, resulting in 252,955 jobs created, retained and saved; $33.3 billion in sales growth; $2.6 billion in government contract awards; $1.4 billion in capital investments; and 4,159 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 headquarters. The Florida SBDC Network is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs. 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.
