Small Business Development Center Opens Doors at UB
September 1, 2010
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
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The Central Region office of the Maryland Small Business Development Center has opened its doors at the University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business, in a new agreement that will broaden access to the center's resources for small area firms in various stages of development, from idea to start-up to growth. The center will be joined not only with the School of Business, but with UB's highly touted Entrepreneurial Opportunity Center, a real-world focused repository of talent and energy for students, business owners and educators to support innovative ventures in Baltimore.
The Baltimore-based Small Business Development Center is part of a network of six regional centers, serving entrepreneurs and small business owners in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County. It offers a menu of resources that can help get a new business off the ground, or raise it to a new level of success. Technical advice, counseling, training and business know-how are all part of the center's offerings. The statewide network, a partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park and the United States Small Business Administration, leverages expertise from an array of sources. It offers entrepreneurs the resources and expertise to achieve a successful start and attain scalable growth.
"We are intently focused on the transformative effects of small business on our region's economy," said Darlene Smith, dean of the Merrick School of Business. "To that end, having an SBDC office right here on campus will make UB a major hub of activity for entrepreneurs of all kinds. I expect that between the new center and our already-successful home for entrepreneurs, the University of Baltimore will be widely known as the machine that assists local businesses to rev up and take off. We're very proud to offer these services to small business owners across the region, because we know how important they are to Baltimore's economic future."
Kiesha Haughton Smoots, director of the SBDC-Central Region, said the new location expects to serve hundreds of new clients every year, in areas that include management skills training, business planning, sales forecasting, marketing, accessing capital, international trade and obtaining minority certifications.
"The new affiliation with the Merrick School of Business at University of Baltimore opens up an array of opportunities that will bring additional services to the Central Region business community through collaborative synergies with current faculty, staff and alumni," Smoots said. "We are excited about working together with the Merrick School of Business to circumvent some of the tough challenges businesses are facing in this economic climate, by offering strategies that will lead them to sustainability and growth."
The new center is located in the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Center at the William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center, home of the Merrick School of Business, 11 W. Mt. Royal Ave. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. More information about the center is available here.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Public Affairs and the Merrick School of Business.