MARYVILLE, Mo. – The assistance provided by the Northwest Missouri State University Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) during the last year has made a significant impact on small businesses and the economy in Northwest Missouri, including the creation of 13 businesses.
In addition to those new businesses, Rebecca Evans, director of the Northwest SBTDC, reported that, in fiscal year 2014 from October 2013 to September 2014, the SBTDC exceeded nearly all of its goals. During fiscal year 2014, businesses working in collaboration with the SBTDC:
created or retained 231 jobs in northwest Missouri;
experienced an increase in sales of $15 million; and
received loans and investments totaling nearly $38 million.
“The goals of the SBTDC are based on helping business owners and potential entrepreneurs meet today’s competitive challenges,” Evans said. “We reached 151 percent of our sales increase goal, 103 percent of our job creation goal, 159 percent of our job retention goal and an astounding 639 percent of our capitalization goal.”
The region’s SBTDC is operated by Northwest with offices in the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) on the University campus, St. Joseph and Chillicothe, while serving a 17-county area.
“We are proud of the work the SBTDC does every day to assist northwest Missouri small businesses and business owners,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “It is but one example of how the University contributes to economic development, and it is imperative all of us take ownership in supporting area businesses and entrepreneurs while advocating strongly for northwest Missouri.”
Like other SBTDC centers throughout the United States at institutions of higher learning, the northwest Missouri center is focused on economic development assistance for businesses with fewer than 500 employees.
The Northwest SBTDC is a leader in small business advocacy in Missouri and helps business owners and potential entrepreneurs meet today’s competitive challenges. It also provides individual business counseling to small business owners and individuals throughout the region, coordinates and conducts research related to technical and general small business problems, and conducts conferences and workshops on topics of interest to small business owners.
The SBTDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. It has developed and cultivated relationships with partners such as the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the state legislature, area chambers of commerce and economic developers throughout the region.