InnoVision: Small Business Development Center
Article highlighting the Small Business Development Center at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Featured in the Fall 2016 issue of InnoVision.
As the largest SBDC in the Pennsylvania network, the Kutztown University SBDC has consulted and advised dozens of budding and established businesses within the counties of Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York since its opening in 1993.
According to Ernie Post, Executive Director of the KU SBDC, “We have roughly two million people in that population and over a 100,000 small businesses…we touch about a thousand a year.”
Often, the Kutztown SBDC assists established or early–stage businesses, providing objective and comprehensive advice, alongside one–on–one consultations. The center also offers workshops across its counties and over 90 online learning courses, with many available in both English and Spanish; the center was recently named by Forbes as one of the top seven online resources available to Latino self–starters.
Aside from assisting established and early–stage businesses, the SBDC at Kutztown also works directly with KU and its students. In addition to offering student jobs for undergraduates, the center also hosts graduate students (like Jonathan Smith, page 18) through graduate assistantships. Another offering, which is often overlooked, is the center’s Student Incubator.
“Very few students know about that [the Student Incubator]. It’s free space that any student can have…to operate their business. It’s an underutilized resource,” said Post.
In addition to a free, professional space, the incubator provides students unlimited access to the SBDC staff for questions or concerns. As well, the incubator is available to use for as long as students find it useful.
To become incubator clients, students submit an application to Dr. Duane Crider of the Department of Sport Management and Leadership Studies. After approval, students can begin using the office space. The center’s most notable incubator business is Brain Bug Magazine. An illustrated science magazine for kids, Brain Bug Magazine is available at bookstores across the U.S. and Canada.
According to Jesse Warner, Editor of Brain Bug Magazine, “The SBDC has been invaluable to Brain Bug...Simply having a place where all of our supplies could be stored saved us in many close calls,” adding, “We are forever indebted to everybody at the SBDC for believing in us and guiding us.”
One of the goals of the KU SBDC is to have more students take advantage of the incubator program to plan, test, and perhaps launch their small business.
Outside of the Student Incubator, the center is focused on continuing to improve its services, through revamped workshops, new learning courses, and more consultations, providing entrepreneurs and businesses with the knowledge and insight they need to begin or grow their business here, in Pennsylvania.
For more information on the Kutztown SBDC, visit www.kutztownsbdc.org. Or to learn more about the Student Incubator, contact Dr. Duane Crider at crider@kutztown.edu.