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Small-Business Owner’s Guide To Government Resources
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Article 6: Small Business Development Centers
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs ) offer a network of more than 1,100 locations across the nation to assist businesses, with an emphasis on startup companies. Find an SBDC office near you here: http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/sbdcnear.html
SBDCs work in conjunction with colleges and universities. They provide business startups one-stop management assistance through a variety of information resources and guidance, either online or in person at the many SBDC branches. SBDCs also work in cooperation with the private sector, local and state governments.
SBDCs are required by law to provide non-fee, one-on-one confidential counseling regarding business credit practices and requirements, and to assist in developing business plans, financial packages, credit applications and contract proposals. The centers also are required to provide informational tools in particular for startup planning, as well as for existing business expansion and export planning.
Among the many SBDC success stories is that of Carolyn Minerich of Jacksonville, Ala. Minerich had no experience, customers or money, but in the Marine Corps member had learned, “not to think twice about doing things that had never been done or seen before.” The Jacksonville SBDC is where Minerich learned to “put it all together,” along with much encouragement from the SBA.
In 1996, Minerich launched Carmin Industries, a precision water-jet cutting and metal fabrication service. In the beginning, she personally ran the machines, unloaded trucks and prepared products for shipment. She started making simple stainless steel plates for the entrance of the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, but her company followed up with jobs for Estée Lauder and Clinique, Lord & Taylor, Giorgio Armani, Neiman Marcus, Universal Studios, the Smithsonian Institute and the U. S. Air Force.
Carmin Industries has gone on to cut parts for the Patriot and Sabre missile systems and the Abrams tank. Minerich’s company has cut shapes for Walt Disney World, including dinosaurs at the Animal Kingdom's new Dino-Rama and Mickey Mouse’s 47 feet by 50 feet hand at Epcot Center. Carmin provides top-quality, defense- and aerospace-certified welding, precision bending of metal, laser cutting and other related services. Since Carmin’s first year of production in 1997, the company has had a 350-percent increase in sales, all beginning with a visit to the SBDC.
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Small-Business Owner’s Guide To Government Resources
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