SBDCArchive for the ‘’ Category

Champaign County EDC Announces Elmore as New SBDC Director

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce Don Elmore as the new Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC. Elmore was chosen as the top candidate after a search and evaluation that included EDC Board members and community leaders. Elmore’s first day of work is set for Monday, March 2, 2015.

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As the SBDC Director, Elmore will be responsible for creating and managing programs to expand small business development opportunities in the community including minority and women owned businesses. He will also develop, coordinate and administer SBDC programs and activities, develop appropriate programs for client groups, and provide client counseling.

“Don has the best combination of small business operation and advising experience to operate the SBDC and provide business assistance to new and established small businesses,” said Craig Rost, EDC Executive Director. “The SBDC utilizes federal SBA funding and state DCEO program management and funding to provide free advisory help to any area resident interested in starting a small business or growing their existing business. Don is well qualified to provide these services and advance the SBDC mission and reach.”

“I feel excited and very fortunate for the opportunity to work with small businesses in our community,” stated Elmore. “Craig Rost and the EDC staff already do a great job of advancing business and economic development in the area, and I will use my skills, experience and energy to make this Small Business Development Center the most accessible, effective resource in the community for anyone who wants to start or grow a small business. Our area offers a great environment for developing businesses of all kinds. I look forward to doing my part in making our business environment even stronger.”

To learn more about the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC or schedule an appointment with an advisor, visit www.cusbdc.org.

About the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC:

The mission of the Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC is to assist in job creation, support entrepreneurship, business start-up, expansion, productivity, and to sharpen small business management in the region. Our organization and partners accomplish this through one-on-one counseling, technical assistance, training seminars, information provision, networking opportunities and business development and real estate expertise.

The Illinois SBDC at Champaign County EDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois DCEO, the University of Illinois and Champaign County Economic Development Corporation.

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Contact:
Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
(217) 359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org

Press:

Elmore to lead Small Business Development Center, The News-Gazette

Montague Earns Certified Technology Consultant (CTC) Designation

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Champaign County EDC is pleased to announce that Tim Montague, Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialist, has successfully attained the Certified Technology Consultant (CTC) designation after completing a 16-week course through the Institute for Technology Commercialization.

Idea to Market™: A course in Technology Commercialization is a certification course in technology commercialization. It is designed for individual or corporate entrepreneurs, technology transfer consultants, scientists and engineers who want to learn how to take disruptive or innovative ideas from the lab to market and in the process create new wealth and value by filling a perceived need.

The course provides a solid foundation in the key elements of technology commercialization from idea to market. Concepts covered include: evaluating commercial potential, identifying desirable target markets and segments, managing high-tech ventures, and leading new ventures towards licensing, startups or spin-outs.

The course covers the key aspects of commercializing technologies, and provides the strategic foundation for planning the best route to commercialization—whether it is the market for ideas (licensing), the market for products (start-ups), or a combination of strategies—in order to achieve the best return on your investment in research, intellectual property, and effort in developing that new technology.

From fully operational businesses generating revenue, to early-stage ventures, Montague, the Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialist at the SBDC is here to help you commercialize new ideas into innovative products and services. Utilizing progressive tools for business planning and development such as GrowthWheel and Lean Startup, the SBDC can evaluate your business competencies as well as areas for improvement and formulate a path to success. To schedule an appointment, call 217-378-8535 or email tim@cusbdc.org.

About the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County Economic Development Corporation is part of America’s Small Business Development Center Network, the most comprehensive small business assistance network in the United States. Our objective is to help existing owners and new entrepreneurs achieve their goals, in a complex marketplace locally, regionally, and globally. Our team of advisors is here to make sure your business has what it needs to be successful. Whether you are looking to strengthen an existing business, formulate a succession plan, or even start a new business, the SBDC is here to provide advice, resources, and support for you and your company.

The Illinois SBDC at Champaign County EDC provides business advising, training, and other assistance to small businesses in Champaign County and the surrounding region at no charge.

About the Institute of Technology Commercialization

The Institute of Technology Commercialization was formed to foster standards in technology commercialization consulting, to promote best practices in the field, and to educate interested participants in the art and science of technology commercialization.

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Montague Earns Accredited Business Planning Advisor (ABPA) Designation

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The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Champaign County EDC is pleased to announce that Tim Montague, Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialist, has successfully attained the professional Accredited Business Planning Advisor designation (ABPA). Montague attended the Accredited – Certified Business Planning Advisor training in Orlando in late 2013, and passed the required comprehensive credential exam.

This advanced training program is offered nationally by The Apogee Center for business consultants, financial advisors and economic development professionals. Montague was part of the fifth national class of professional advisors trained by The Apogee Center to assist rural and at-risk urban business owners and their communities with the coming wave of business owner retirements.

Apogee President, Odee Ingersoll said, “We are thrilled to have Tim as part of our latest graduating class of professional advisors. Tim’s participation demonstrates his long-term commitment to business owners and economic development in Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding region.”

Nationally, up to 70% of existing business owners are expected to leave their business over the next 10 years or less; as many as 52% by 2017. ABPA and CBPA advisors provide comprehensive exit and succession planning services to small business owners who have been unable to afford these advanced services until now, in an effort to support communities and their economies. The ABPA-CBPA program is the only nationwide program of its kind to direct services to the small business owner and to the community they do business in.

Montague says “The program’s goal is not only to ensure the owner has the greatest number of opportunities to successfully sell or leave their business at maximum value, it also introduces the concept of NxGen Entrepreneurship© – using the purchase of an existing business as an alternative path to entrepreneurship for many would-be business owners. Developing a local buyer or successor keeps the existing businesses in place, contributing to their communities. It also provides an opportunity for new local wealth creation. This is an opportunity that many prospective entrepreneurs would never have had available outside of this program of service.”

In addition to his ability to provide professional exit and succession planning services, Montague will soon be able to provide businesses and communities with access to a new nationwide business creation, economic development and skills marketing platform called MyBizFind. The nationwide program will launch in the spring of 2014. It is designed to connect entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, people with marketable skills, service providers, buyers, sellers, communities and more – and allow users to search for and find business opportunities and assistance.

Montague is one of over 100 professionals from over 20 U.S. states and provinces including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to train to assist business owners with increasing their business value and preparing for a successful exit or family succession event.

The ABPA and CBPA training program is available nationwide to professionals from Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and to financial consultants including CPA’s, Financial Planners and Attorneys. It’s also available to college or university entrepreneurship programs, community staff, utility representatives and economic development professionals.

Contact:
Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
(217) 359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org

Champaign County EDC Reveals New Strategic Plan & Highlights Products Made in Champaign County at Annual Meeting

More than 150 people gathered at the Hawthorn Suites in Champaign, IL for the 2013 Champaign County EDC Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 21, 2013. The meeting highlighted the organization’s FY13 activities, showcased products and innovation Made in Champaign County (#MadeInCC), and revealed the organization’s new Strategic Plan.

Products were on display from the following Champaign County companies: Advanced Filtration Systems, Inc. (AFSI), Bump Nonprofit Design Studio, Columbia Street Roastery, Conair Corporation, Dart Container Corporation, Data Comm for Business, Inc., Eagle Wings Industries, Easton-Bell Sports, Flex-N-Gate, Herff Jones, IntelliWheels, Litania Sports Group, Oso Technologies, Ragle Dental Laboratory, Silgan White Cap Americas, Taylor Studios, Triptych Brewing, and Volition. Some of the products on display included bumpers from Flex-N-Gate, oil filers from AFSI, a bicycle helmet from Easton-Bell Sports, video games from Volition, and a dinosaur made by Taylor Studios.

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation acts through public-private partnerships to continually grow the local economy by supporting local business and driving expansion and attraction.

The Champaign County EDC has set the following two-year goals (as revealed in their new Strategic Plan): provide support to create 3,000 new jobs, attract $225 million in new private investment, assist companies to grow payroll by $132 million (this will ultimately increase per capita pay to $26,000), and increase private sector influence in EDC by doubling the number of private investors.

To read the full plan, download a copy below.

EDC 2013-2015 Strategic Plan

To view photos from the event, please visit the Champaign County EDC’s Facebook album.

Buzz about the event:

Group’s aim: Per capita pay hike for county, The News-Gazette

Economic Development Corporation showcases locally-made products, The Daily Illini

Tweets (#MadeInCC)

Contact:

Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County EDC
217-359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org

 

New International Trade Specialist Joins Local Small Business Development Center

 

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County Economic Development Corporation has hired Kathie Cravens as its International Trade Specialist for the new International Trade Center, a partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Cravens was the top candidate following a search and comprehensive evaluation that included the SBDC, Champaign County EDC, University of Illinois, and DCEO.

Ms. Cravens, a seasoned International Trade Specialist with years of exporting experience, has traveled and lived abroad, worked closely with numerous international dealers and distributors, and has attended several international trade shows. She has advised small to medium sized companies on their export practices and has been directly involved with exporting numerous shipments of U.S. manufactured goods to every continent around the world. “I’m excited about the opportunity to assist Central Illinois companies with their expansion into the international market in an effort to expand international trade opportunities in the region and create new jobs,” stated Cravens.

She will provide in-depth advice on international trade techniques, export processes, and international market opportunities to local companies. In addition, she will provide research support for new markets and products and referral assistance for export related activities, licensing, certification, legal and financial consultation, logistics and customs issues.

“We are excited that a professional with significant international experience has joined our team,” said Greg Gonda, Director of the Small Business Development Center. “Her expertise will be an asset in expanding the array of services we offer and assisting companies with their expansion into foreign markets.” Cravens joins Gonda and Tim Montague as the third staff member.

To contact Ms. Cravens and learn more about the International Trade Center, please contact her at 217-378-8535 or kathie@champaigncountyedc.org.

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