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In Recent News: Penn State SBDC Helps Student Entrepreneurs
Seminar to help small businesses navigate maze of government contracts
University Park, Pa.— Billions of dollars in Pennsylvania government contracts are available to small business owners each year, but knowing how to successfully bid on them can be a difficult job.
The Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hopes to make the process easier by offering a free seminar called “Working with the Commonwealth” next month.
The seminar will focus on contracting with the state and the qualifications for minority business enterprises (MBEs) and women business enterprises (WBEs). It will be held from 9:00 a.m. to noon on November 10 at the State College Municipal Building.
More than $4 billion was spent on government contracts in 2008 by Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services, according to Curtis Burwell, seminar quest speaker and equal opportunity manager for the Bureau of Minority and Women Business Opportunities. Burwell said that MBE/WBE government contracts have risen from 2 percent to 10 percent for minority and women business owners in the last six years.
Linda Feltman, senior business analyst with the Penn State SBDC, encourages all small businesses to attend — especially those offering a business-to-business product.
“This isn’t just ‘we’re buying office supplies,’” Feltman said. “The government buys anything from toilet paper to frozen peas. They use everything.”
While government contracting can be lucrative, Feltman said it can also be a difficult process that involves lots of paperwork.
“There’s competition, lots of it. All your ‘I’s’ need to be dotted, all your ‘T’s’ need to be crossed,” she said. “It’s a maze. But this seminar is like having someone to help you through the steps.”
The Penn State SBDC provides no-cost, one-on-one consulting, as well as low-cost training in proven management fundamentals. It also sponsors numerous seminars and special events at low-cost fees. Since its founding in 1997, the SBDC has assisted more than 1,000 new and established businesses. Clients have reported a $1.9 million increase in sales in the first half of 2009, the creation of 14 new businesses and 77 new or retained jobs, thanks to the SBDC.
The SBDC is funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Department of Community and Economic Development, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, as well as through support from Penn State.
SBA Administrator Announces Availability of H1N1 Preparedness Guide for Small Businesses
Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the availability of a preparedness
guide designed to assist small businesses in planning for the possibility of an H1N1 flu outbreak this fall.
To download the booklet, please visit www.sba.gov/flu.
Click above to see details from the EWE 2009 event. Next year's event will be held October 6, 2010.
Penn State Small Business Development Center Names New Director
Environment, energy are areas of new leadership's expertise
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has named Heather
Fennessey as its new director. Fennessey, who has worked with the center for eight years, is an award-winning environmental specialist who has helped more than 300 businesses and
organizations reduce their energy consumption, obtain grants and loans for energy upgrades, and meet environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance
requirements. Fennessey has served as interim director of the center since September 2008 and replaces Donna Holmes, who now works in the banking industry.
In its first 10 years, the Penn State SBDC, part of Outreach's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, has consulted with more than 1,200 entrepreneurs in Centre and Mifflin counties to help them start or improve their small businesses. Fennessey plans to build on the center’s impact through strategic community and university partnerships. "Through these partnerships, our business and environmental consultants will not only be able to help local businesses survive the current recession, but they will also be able to help them to thrive for years to come," said Fennessey.
Fennessey's many recognitions include national Energy Star awards and, as part of a team, an American Small Business Development Center State Star award. She and SBDC colleague Denise Bechdel were included in Pennsylvania Business Central's 2008 Top 100 List that recognizes individuals, in the publication's 16-county region, who fuel economic development. Prior to Fennessey's work with the SBDC, she was a consultant for the National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence, where she provided technical and business management support for pollution prevention, waste management and remediation projects with the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and NASA.
In Other News...
- The Penn State SBDC publishes SBDC News two times each year. This newsletter outlines special events hosted by the SBDC, current issues facing small business owners, and stories of successful SBDC clients. Access the current edition of SBDC News .
- The Pennsylvania SBDC publishes The Advisor three times each year. This newsletter contains a schedule of all training workshops hosted by the eighteen SBDCs in Pennsylvania, as well as articles about SBDC clients who have received special recognition or awards. Access the current edition of The Advisor.
- The Pennsylvania PASBDC publishes a resources for small businesses. Access the current Resource Opportunity.
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