Student Participation in Reality Labs

SBDC at UCF Associate Director Pauline Davis was selected as a judge for the inaugural Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition on October 27 and 28, 2006, at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. For the competition, each business plan was reviewed by a minimum of three judges who were prominent members of the Florida business community. The competition was sponsored by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Central Florida and funded by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Enterprise Florida. The event was designed to engage students, faculty, business and government leaders from all regions of the state, and showcase exciting proposals created by high achieving students invited from over 30 Florida universities and colleges.

SBDC at FGCU Director Dan Regelski, Assistant Director Suzanne Specht and CBA Tor Ostensen collaborated with FGCU faculty in preparing and presenting several SBDC clients for class projects during the spring semester 2007 at FGCU. The classes range from Entrepreneurial Field Studies, Financial Analysis and Marketing. The projects are supervised by FGCU faculty and the SBDC analyst assigned to the client. Formal presentations to the clients will be administered at the end of the semester.

The SBDC at Daytona Beach Community College made arrangements for area businesses to benefit from the resources available through the University of Central Florida’s Professional MBA program. Students in this program, in their final semester, gain valuable experience by assisting with the development of marketing plans and other projects for participating businesses.

Eileen Rodriguez Teaches Entrepreneurial Classes to USF Students

The SBDC at USF placed over half a dozen clients in project-driven classes such as Strategic Market Assessment, Business Plan Development, Strategies in Technology Entrepreneurship and Integrated Business Applications (the two-semester capstone to USF's MBA program) during the Spring Semester 2007. Each course meets the needs of clients at differing stages of development, and all provide groups of advanced degree-seeking professionals to assist SBDC clients to continue their growth into viable, sustainable, long-term success.

Cathy Hagan, Area Director with the SBDC at UNF, is teaching an undergraduate Entrepreneurial Marketing class as part of the Coggin College of Business new entrepreneurship minor. This semester, 29 students are working in teams with eight SBDC clients to develop radical marketing ideas and implementation plans for these ideas. Businesses include a public golf course, a gutter installation contractor and a cybercafé. The end result will be a marketing plan presented to the business owners at the end of the semester.

Diane Denslow, CBA with the SBDC at UNF, is teaching an undergraduate Small Business Counseling class as part of the Coggin College of Business new entrepreneurship minor. This semester, four teams of students are working with area business owners on a variety of projects including hiring practices, marketing plan for a new product, inventory management, and job costing analysis to improve profitability. The students will prepare a report of their analysis and recommendations and present them to the business owner at the completion of the term.

The SBDC at FAU moved office locations within the main campus in Boca Raton to Fleming Hall West, part of the College of Business in 2006. With the new location, SBDC staff members now encounter students on a daily basis. As a result, CBAs Ted Kramer, Martin Zients and Phil Scruton have had the opportunity to counsel business students considering starting their own ventures.

The SBDC at FAU’s Retail Training Program provided 16 middle school students from Boynton Beach the opportunity to develop job readiness skills necessary for future success in the workplace. Based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s SCANS skills for workplace readiness, the SBDC’s Retail Training Program teaches students leadership, team-work, discipline and responsibility through service learning. Students plan, develop and manage monthly community service efforts in collaboration with area businesses and community groups. Functioning more like the workplace than the classroom, students gain personal knowledge of time management and business know-how. Students are required to track and document their work hours and submit and sign their timesheets in a timely fashion to make "pay-roll". They also track work schedules, identify job sites and report to their supervisors using technology.
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The Small Business Resource Network (SBRN) of Central Florida held its first member luncheon on November 9, 2006. The purpose of the lunch was to initiate discussion on the goals of the SBRN for Central Florida, membership drive initiatives, and networking among members. The lunch meeting featured local members, guests from the Jacksonville SBRN and SBDC at UCF staff.

Eunice Choi, Interim Director of SBDC at UCF, was invited by Orange County Government to attend the annual Manufacturers Association of Central Florida (MACF) annual dinner on October 24, 2006 with the aim of developing a closer relationship between the MACF and Orange County. As a direct result of the event, Eunice was able to meet with the MACF Director and offer special scholarships for MACF members to attend SBDC training seminars.

The SBDC at UCF in partnership with Orange County Government hosted a complimentary reception for its Advisory Board Council (ABC) program on October 24, 2006 targeting small business owners who could possibly benefit from forming a professional advisory board. The reception was attended by over 100 small business owners and featured a presentation on the benefits of the ABC program, services of the SBDC, and success stories from past ABC clients. As a direct result of the reception, SBDC at UCF’s ABC program received eight new clients within four days following the reception.

The SBDC at FGCU was awarded a new funding opportunity through the collaboration of Dan Regelski and the SW Florida Workforce Development Board. The award of approximately $50,000 per year over a 30-month period has allowed the SBDC to hire Sean Moore to fulfill the milestones of the grant and to be present in the rural markets of LaBelle, Clewiston and Moore Haven. Sean, along with representatives from FAU and USF, will attend a week-long training program titled REAL, which will be offered in those rural markets beginning in May.

Daniel Scott and Eileen Rodriguez, from the SBDC at USF, met with the faculty of the International Academy of Design Technology in Tampa to explore opportunities in partnering with student teams to provide needed services to SBDC clients. In partnership with the Asian Chambers of Commerce of Tampa Bay, the SBDC at USF held the 3rd Asian Business Forum on March 17, 2007.

SBDC at USF Director Irene Hurst was an invited panelist at Office Depot’s Women Conference in Orlando on February 15, 2007. The event attracted over 300 women business owners.

Janice Donaldson and Kevin Monahan, from the SBDC at UNF, are participating in the UNF Non-Profit Affinity Group to look for ways to expand the SBDC’s service and outreach to non-profit organizations in the areas of strategic planning and entrepreneurial management.

The SBDC at FAU secured a new contract with the City of Hollywood to bring counseling and training to the city’s small business community. The first training seminar, Introduction to Business Plan, drew 53 attendees. There has also been a tremendous response to the counseling service with more people requesting appointments than could be seen in one day. Broward County Associate Director and CBA Rafael Cruz was instrumental in the development of the agreement and has been delivering counseling and training services.

CBA Nancy Orozco of the SBDC at FAU is working with the First Baptist Church of Hialeah Gardens Crossfire program, the nation’s first faith-based veteran-specific human services provider (www.vetsincrossfire.org). The church donated counseling office space beginning in late October of 2006. This location is the first opportunity for the SBDC to have a counseling presence in the Northwest Miami-Dade County area. Nancy also secured space in several libraries in the area that has allowed the SBDC to expand its outreach services.

The SBDC at FAU was awarded a three-year grant to provide training and counseling in rural areas of Okeechobee County, as well as the communities of Belle Glade, South Bay and Pahokee in Palm Beach County. The award was a result of being included in a grant proposal submitted by the SW Florida Workforce Development Board. The SBDC at FAU is grateful to the SBDC at FGCU for their work on this proposal and relationship with the workforce development board that led to the SBDC at FAU being included in the proposal.

The SBDC at Brevard Community College co-sponsored the first Minority Vendor Fair at the King Center for Performing Arts, in Melbourne, on March 6. Dr. James Drake, BCC Interim President, welcomed the community, and Ann Knotts, Director of Budgets and Purchasing, gave the general overview. Victoria Peake, SBDC Director, discussed SBDC and Institute for Business Training and Community Education resources. Peake was joined at the podium by Tom Gallman, SBA Area Manager and FSBDCN SBDC Project Officer. Gallman and Peake led a concurrent session on SBA Loans and SBDC services. Sandy Pfrimmer served on the overall planning committee.

The SBDC at Gulf Coast Community College is partnering with FSU-Panama City, Bay Economic Development Alliance, Bay County and Panama City Beach Chambers in the development of an advanced technology business incubator. The SBDC has been working with IT departments at Gulf Coast Community College and FSU-PC to provide entrepreneurial training to IT graduates. As a furtherance of that alliance, an Advanced Technology Incubator will provide a platform for business and the IT staff and students to work together on commercialization projects.
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Inspiration & Creativity Through Business Education

The Eighth Annual Entrepreneur’s Law School was held on January 27 and, for the very first time, the program was held on the campus of FGCU in its new Student Ball Room. Attendance was the highest ever with 47 paid attendees. Fifteen attorneys spoke in one-hour presentation blocks. The topics of interest ranged from legal issues such as dealing with immigration, contract and lease review; intellectual property to legal forms of business ownership. The program was co-sponsored by Cohen & Grigsby Law Firm and the Insurance Offices of Oswald & Tripe Company. Luncheon keynote speakers were Henry Cohen, Principal of Cohen & Grisby, and John Polack, President of OTC.

The SBDC at UCF developed the Doing Business with Local Government and Other Entities seminar as part of the Orange County’s Economic Stimulus Package. The two-day workshop, held on November 13 and 14, 2006, was designed for businesses seeking training to understand the requirements to successfully compete on contracting opportunities with City/County Government and other entities including the Orlando International Airport, Orlando Utilities Commission and University of Central Florida. The seminar was presented by Frank Germonto, SBDC at UCF’s PTAC Specialist, and included a guest speaker from DemandStar and local city, county and entity purchasing managers. Scholarships were provided by Orange County Government for Orange County business attendees.

The fourth annual Invention to Venture Workshop, hosted by the University of Central Florida, attracted more than 100 attendees and presented an introduction to the process and practice of technology entrepreneurship. As part of the workshop, SBDC at UCF Interim Director Eunice Choi served as a panelist for the panel discussion, Finding Money-Different Types of Money. Eunice presented the financing options available to early stage technology companies including SBA guaranteed loans, strategic partnerships and SBIR grants.

SBDC at FGCU CBA Tor Ostensen attended a FEPA Conference held in Daytona in January to gain insight and collaboration with key county and state agencies for quick response to post-Hurricane assistance. The SBDC position is to be an available resource to work with those small business owners with the proper sequence to gain the aid and financial assistance after being affected by a Hurricane. With the information Tor returned with, the SBDC has scheduled several pre-mitigation preparedness seminars, as well a post-Hurricane recovery. The organizations that the SBDC has assembled to participate in Hurricane seminars are resources available, but they will be in one spot and will be presenting together.

Tor Ortensen presents at Hurricane Convention

Diane Denslow, CBA with the SBDC at UNF, is coordinating a Business Plan Competition at UNF. Scheduled for March 26, six teams of students representing various colleges on campus will present their business plans to a panel of judges. Prize money of $5000 will be distributed to the winning teams and the top two teams will compete in the First Coast Regional Business Plan Competition.

Denslow also organized an Entrepreneur Panel event on March 2. More than 75 students and faculty interested in learning from successful entrepreneurs attended. The five panelists represented a broad array of business types and shared their experiences with starting a business, writing a business plan and growing a venture. The event was part of the Kauffman Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Week activities scheduled around the nation. The event was sponsored by the Coggin College of Business at UNF and Enterprise North Florida Corp.

The SBDC at USF and USF College of Business Administration Professors worked together to develop a core set of Academic Learning Compacts (ALCs) to ensure a standardized minimum level of entrepreneurial training at the undergraduate level at the University of South Florida. The ALCs have been implemented Spring Semester 2007 and have established a continuing, measurable expectation for undergraduate entrepreneurship students in future semesters.
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Diversity Through Collaboration

As referenced in the Community Outreach section, Brevard Community College held its first Minority Vendor Fair on March 6, 2007. In preparation for the event and to create visibility for the outreach, SBDC staff worked with Ann Knotts, Director of Budget and Purchasing; Terri Jones, Director of Student Diversity and Equity; Jamie Barrett; and Wendy Perez, Coordinator and Specialist for the Moore Multicultural Center; and Dr. Joe Lee Smith, BCC Ambassador. The committee, headed by Director Knotts, attended and presented at the National Minority and Supplier Development Council meeting during the winter quarter.

Minority Vendor Recruitment Fair Committee

SBDC at USF collaborated with the USF Purchasing Department in staffing a booth at the State of Florida Office of Supplier Diversity 2007 Trade Conference in November at the Orange County Convention Center and met with numerous disadvantaged business owners, providing them with information on how to sell to USF, as well as how to obtain technical services for their small businesses.

Rafael Cruz, from the SBDC at FAU, delivered a well-received presentation to the Mt. Olive Baptist Church Christian Business Consortium regarding various aspects of marketing, sales strategy and business expansion. The Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale is one of the oldest and largest churches in Broward County and South Florida with strong roots in the African American Community.

The Business Librarian and the Service to Non-English Speakers Librarian at the Palm Beach County Main Library in West Palm Beach approached the SBDC at FAU to provide Spanish language business seminars. Since CBA Nancy Orozco began delivering seminars at the Library, there has been an average of 35 plus attendees at each session.

SBDC at FAU Director Nancy Young facilitated a town hall meeting for the Palm Beach County Office of Small Business Assistance in the City of Riviera Beach. The community has a high population of minorities, and the purpose of the meeting was to solicit input from constituents as to why more minorities are not getting registered to do business with Palm Beach County and/or bidding on available jobs. The meeting was the best attended of the five given around the county. Palm Beach County Administrator Addie Green was in attendance, as well as Deputy County Administrator Verdenia Baker.

SBDC at UCF Interim Director Eunice Choi was a guest speaker at the Philippine American Chamber Seminar on November 6, 2006, and presented a presentation on the role of the SBDC in the community and how to obtain SBA guaranteed loans. The seminar featured 20 attendees comprised of business owners, financial consultants, lenders and other professionals.

Janice Donaldson, Regional Director of the SBDC at UNF, presented a workshop on How to STARTUP a Business to 16 international exchange students enrolled at Florida Community College at Jacksonville. The students came from Central and South America and from the Caribbean.
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Community Awareness: SBDC Visibility

The SBDC at BCC sponsored the Founders Forum Meeting highlighting Volunteer Business Analyst presenter, Shayne Wetherall, on January 30. Wetherall, a former Navy Seal, presented Taking Your Business to the Next Level. SBDC client and Founders Forum Board Member Don Kramer of One Senior Place also sponsored the program.

Diane Denslow, CBA with the SBDC at UNF, is playing an integral role in planning the First Coast Regional Business Plan Competition on April 13th. Eight colleges and universities in the region have been invited to enter student teams in the competition. The winner of this event will advance to the state competition in October.

Ben Dobson, CBA and Area Manager for SBDC at UCF’s Kissimmee office, represented the SBDC at UCF at the Osceola Business-to-Business Exposition on November 2, 2006. The Expo was attended by more than 1,200 guests and featured Osceola businesses and services.

The SBDC at UCF participated in the U.S. Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program which brings toys to children in need during the holiday season. This was the fourth year SBDC at UCF participated in the program. The SBDC at UCF also served as the coordinator for the program for the Disney/SBA National Entrepreneur Center and its service organizations. The dozens of toys donated were displayed and presented to the U.S. Marine Corp representative during the NEC holiday party on December 15, 2006.

SBDC at USF was featured on the Educational Channel program called Small Business Academy. The program was a half-hour segment that provided general information about SBDC programs and an interview with Irene Hurst on small business issues. The program ran twice during the week.

The Miami-Dade County Festival Plaza office was invited to a community services program on the radio shows at 1210 AM and 1700 AM to make a presentation about SBDC services. The interview aired in December of 2006, and the radio stations also gave a $2,000 in-kind contribution to the SBDC.

CBA Ken Stephanz, from the SBDC at FAU, attended brainstorming sessions and meetings of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council in the formation of a new Treasure Coast consortium of financial institutions to create a standalone financing capability for small businesses that would not typically qualify with an individual bank. In the fourth quarter of 2006, Ken drafted the consortium agreement.
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Global Relations: Developments

Eileen Rodriguez is working closely with USF’s Dean of International Affairs in developing joint programs that would be beneficial to both the University and small business owners interested in expanding their markets internationally. She was also a guest lecturer at the USF College of Business’s International Business Board, a student organization.

Representatives from the Curacao SBDC visited the FSBDCN State Director's Office in Pensacola for a week in March for extensive training on how to develop an electronic management information center.
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Excellence in Quality Improvement

SBDC at BCC success story Don Kramer will be highlighted in Florida Trend's Anniversary Issue. Kramer, entrepreneur and founder of One Senior Place, will be featured in the Innovator’s Section.

The SBDC at BCC was an in-kind sponsor of the retirement party honoring the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base Small Business Director Linda Sherod. Other sponsors of the March 9 event were the Brevard Small Business Assistance Council; BreitIdeas Inc.; Satellite Electronics; ZelTech Technologies, LLC; and ASTI. Sherod has collaborated over the years with the SBDC to educate businesses on government contracting with DOD.

International Management Systems, Inc. conducted an ISO 9001: 2000 Surveillance Audit for the SBDC Boca Raton office on October 26, 2006. The audit results verify that the SBDC at FAU continues to effectively implement its processes as documented through procedures, work instructions and the usage of its forms. The Auditor praised management and its staff for their continued commitment to quality improvement and customer satisfaction. His audit verified that the processes for determining customers’ needs, provision of services, provision of continued training and education of its staff, usage and application of metrics for improvement purposes, were significant features of the SBDC at FAU quality management system. According to Jack Doherty, Lead Auditor from IMS Inc., "The continued commitment to change and improvement by the Director, Nancy Young, is evident from the quality records, customer feedback, as well as the high level of morale and motivation of the staff."


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FSBDCN Recognizes Excellence

End of Year awards were presented to deserving CBA’s during the First Annual SBDC at USF Academy Awards. The presentation was made at the February staff meeting and counselors were recognized for their achievements in direct hours, outreach hours, number of start-ups and service quality.

Jim Parrish and Eileen Rodriguez

Jim Parrish and Eileen Rodriguez

Charlene Bostic

Mario Iezzoni

Kim Wagner

SBDC at FGCU's Suzanne Specht received her recertification as a FastTrac facilitator. Suzanne attended the recertification classes offered in Orlando in January 2007. A new selection of programs with the FastTrac sequence will be offered beginning June 2007.

The SBDC at UNF nominated four of the winners of Small Business Week Awards presented by the SBA North Florida District Office in Jacksonville. The four categories are: Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Family-Owned Business of the Year, Financial Services Champion of the Year, and Women in Business Champion of the Year. The awards will be presented at the 15th Annual Small Business Week Celebration on May 8 at UNF.

2006 Big Bend MED Week Committee

During the week of October 1-6, 2006, local and state Small and Minority Business Offices came together to celebrate Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week in the Tallahassee area. The event focuses on the outstanding achievements and contributions made by minority businesses and the significant support given minority business development by government and the corporate community. MED Week has been observed nationally sine 1981 when President Ronald Regan designated the first full week of October as MED Week. This year was the 14th Annual observance. read more

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In This Issue

Student Participation in Reality Labs

Community Outreach: Initiatives for Expanding, Supporting and Partnering

Inspiration & Creativity Through Business Education

Diversity Through Collaboration

Community Awareness: SBDC Visibility

Global Relations: Developments

Excellence in Quality Improvement

FSBDCN Recognizes Excellence