Faculty & Entrepreneurs
Small Business Development Center
The U of I Small Business Development Center has been serving the Iowa counties of Cedar, Johnson, Iowa, Poweshiek and Washington since 1981. We are one of 13 centers in the Iowa SBDC network. Our office is located at 2660 University Capitol Centre, Suite 2673 in Iowa City. Our phone number is 319-335-3742; or fax to us at 319-353-2445.
Owning a small business calls for vision, determination and all the sound expertise you can find. The Iowa SBDCs serve all 99 counties with highest quality assistance for businesses with 500 or less employees. The SBDC can guide you down the road to success with:
- One-on-one counseling by qualified professionals
- A variety of learning opportunities, including workshops, classes, on-line assistance and publications and other resources
- Connections to other service providers, federal, state and local resources, sources of capital and similar assistance for small businesses
Iowa's SBDCs are partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration via a contract with Iowa State University, Ames. The State Center is headquartered in ISU's new Gerdin Business Building.
Additional funding is provided by the State of Iowa. Support for regional centers is provided by SBDC host institutions and contributed funds. Hosts across the state include public and private universities, community colleges and a chamber of commerce.
Because 97.5% of Iowa's businesses are small, the SBDCs face a monumental task. Yet Iowa SBDC results are extraordinary. According to an independent study by James Chrisman at the University of Mississippi, over the past 5 years, SBDC long-term counseling assisted businesses achieved the following:
- Generation of 7,692 in new jobs
- Production of $462,600,000 in incremental sales
- Securing of $290,600,000 in financing
For valuable information about the Iowa SBDCs and other business assistance, the web site at http://www.iabusnet.org can be of value.
Other valuable sites include the following:
The SBDC conducts research, counsels, and trains business people in management, financing, and operating small businesses, and provides comprehensive information services and access to experts in a variety of fields. Each SBDC encourages unique local efforts, region to region, state to state, and community to community to meet small business needs in its area.
SBDC offices develop and maintain partnerships among community organizations and local, state and federal agencies, providing a focal point for broad networks of public and private resources at the community level. SBDC partnership programs and activities serving small businesses have contributed significantly to economic growth in each state. The Drake SBDC is a partnership program of the Iowa State University College of Business.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides guidance and funding to the Iowa SBDC. Each of these SBDC offices subcontracts with other universities, community colleges, chambers of commerce and other institutions to provide a network of over 700 full service assistance centers to the small business community.
SBDC Objectives
- Provide free in-depth quality assistance to small businesses in all areas that promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity and management improvement.
- Link resources of federal, state, and local governments with those of colleges, universities and the private sector to meet the needs of the small business community.
- Develop and expand the unique resources of Iowa.