2008 SBDC Client Exposition
Small Businesses Confirm Benefits of Assistance from Small Business Development Centers at State
Capitol
Small Firms Evidence “The Right Direction” at Harrisburg Expo
The 2008 SBDC Client Expo, “The Right Direction,” has passed. Read the event press release. Visit the Expo photo gallery to view pictures from the event, or download high resolution photos from the Expo.
To learn more about the clients who exhibited at the Expo click on the icons on the map below or read the featured client success story. You can also read the official event greeting from Governor Edward Rendell and download the official program and invitation.
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Schedule of Events
The Expo begins at 8:00am and runs until 2:00pm. Throughout the day, the 25 exhibiting small businesses at the Expo will be showcasing their products and services. The following businesses will be demonstrating their products and capabilities on the event's main stage:
- 9:00am Kuchera Defense Systems and NABCO, Inc. – robotics
- 10:00am Immersimap – 3D mapping software
- 11:00am Altoona Dance Theatre – student dance performance
- 12:00pm DiSalvo's Pasta – culinary favorites
- 1:00pm Verefi Technologies, Inc. – virtual reality surgical simulators
- 1:30pm Cherryhill Manufacturing – U-SAND machine
Exhibiting Clients
SBDC clients come from all across the state of Pennsylvania. To learn more about the clients exhibiting at this year's Expo click on the markers in the map below. |
Featured Expo Client
Each week, this section will feature one exhibiting client who the SBDC helped point in the right direction. This week's featured client, Tea Country, is a minority-owned business that utilized SBDC services to open two brick-and-mortar locations in Philadelphia.
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| Custom-made inlays and medallions designed and manufactured by Cherryhill Manufacturing. | |
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Cherryhill Manufacturing |
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In 1998, the founders of Cherryhill Manufacturing set out with a simple goal: to improve upon the technology used to sand floors, which hadn’t changed much in 50 years. Cherryhill Manufacturing’s U-SAND machine has accomplished just this, and the company’s $2 million-plus yearly sales are testament to its niche appeal in the construction industry. Cherryhill Manufacturing has worked with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center (SBDC) since the company’s founding in 1998. At the time, Cyrus Kirsch, President of Cherryhill Manufacturing, had built a prototype of a new floor sander and invited the SBDC to view the prototype and learn about the fledgling company. The SBDC recognized the market potential for the company’s machine and helped Kirsch to refine the prototype into a market-ready product. Before Cherryhill Manufacturing could begin producing and selling its prototype, the company first needed to write a business plan and raise funds to cover product development and operating funds. The company entered the SBDC’s business incubator in 1999 and began working through the business planning process. As the company began moving forward, the SBDC assisted Kirsch in developing Cherryhill Manufacturing’s website, marketing materials, instruction manuals, and an instructional video on how to use the U-SAND. The SBDC also aided Cherryhill Manufacturing in moving through the prototyping and commercialization phases of product development. Through referrals to the Engineering Development Services at the Bucknell University SBDC and the Ben Franklin Partnership, Cherryhill Manufacturing was able to develop eight prototypes before commercializing their U-SAND machine. The SBDC simultaneously assisted the company in identifying viable funding sources, which provided the company with the investment capital needed to build their business. Cherryhill Manufacturing also relied on the extensive resources of the Indiana SBDC to connect the company with suppliers and customers. The SBDC introduced Kirsch to the principal buyer for Tru-Serv’s Rental Division, the single largest potential buyer of Cherryhill Manufacturing’s product, who offered Kirsch advice on how to refine the U-SAND into a market-ready machine. Thanks to introductions made through the SBDC, Kirsch was also able to purchase source materials for Cherryhill Manufacturing products from local companies. Cherryhill Manufacturing’s products are distributed nationally and are available through large retailers such as Home Depot. Continuing its progress in the right direction, the company recently expanded its business into custom-made wood medallions and is currently working on developing a handheld version of the U-SAND for residential use. |
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