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Minnesota State Community and Technical College has been selected as the new host for the three-year West Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center beginning January 1, 2023.
M State was selected for its proven commitment to business development, existing resources, large geographic and demographic footprint, and partnerships with regional businesses and industry.
“I am confident that Minnesota State Community and Technical College will do a great job of providing the best consulting, training and business support to residents and small business customers in the region,” wrote Minnesota Small State Director Bruce Strong. Business Development Center Network wrote a letter of congratulations to M State.
The center will be headquartered on M State’s Moorhead campus, with an accessible office and meeting space open full time during regular college hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. M State also hosts part-time satellite locations throughout the region as needed.
The West Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center (SBDC) serves Clay, Baker, Otter Tail, Wilkin, Grant, Douglas, Traverse, Bishop and Stevens counties and is one of nine regional SBDC offices in the state. In the year Created in 1980 to help small businesses start, grow and succeed, the SBDC provides free one-on-one professional business consulting services and provides investment capital for businesses.
“Hosting a regional SBDC office at M State brings exciting opportunities for our students, community partners and anyone in the region interested in starting or growing a business,” said M State President Carrie Brimhall. With our long history of educating and serving students in the region, as well as our proven success in building relationships with communities and partnering with local businesses, M State is uniquely suited for this role.
SBDC clients include business owners, students, entrepreneurs and others who receive hands-on advice from hand-picked consultants on everything from business plan development to selling a business. M State directs the college’s workforce development solutions to current faculty, contract consultants and coaches to provide these consultations.
Dr. Marsha Weber, dean of M State’s School of Business and Information Technology, said Workforce Development Solutions “is one of the reasons we have such a strong case for acquiring the SBDC office.” Weber and M State grant coordinator Cindy Bailey wrote and submitted the proposal for M State to host the center.
“We can really use our workforce development solutions, our custom training suite, to help out at the SBDC – the two will be a great complement to each other,” Weber said. “In the communities we serve and the region we serve, the entrepreneurial environment is ripe for new entrants. Both SBDC and workforce development solutions can identify and respond to the needs of emerging entrepreneurs and small business owners.”
Many supporting stakeholders are on board to assist M State through identification and referral of SBDC clients, training development, service delivery, material distribution and collaborative projects. These partners include the City of Moorhead, Downtown Moorhead Inc., West Central Initiative and the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation to name a few.
A full-time regional director will be hired to manage the SBDC center in M State, and a program coordinator will handle supporting responsibilities such as client scheduling and accounting.
Concordia College in Morehead, a regional SBDC host since 2011, will continue to host through the end of the year.
The SBDC is supported by the US Small Business Administration, the Minnesota Department of Jobs and Economic Development and other local partners.
As a member of the Minnesota State system, M State serves more than 7,000 students each year with credit courses in more than 70 career and liberal arts programs online and at its campuses in Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Morehead and Wadena. The college provides workforce development services and other responsive training programs in partnership with communities.
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