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Megan Schmidgal
(215) 898-1219

Dr. Cougar (in yellow) and other small business owners met with President Obama in Allentown, Pa. in December 2009 as he kicked off his job creation tour. (PHOTO: Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Journalists are invited to learn more about how Pennsylvania's small businesses are leading the way to economic recovery. A host of regularly updated press materials, media contacts, resources and key links are available.

Under deadline? Contact us to get in touch with one of the thousands of small buisness owners we work with annually.

About the Small Business Development Centers
Recent press releases
Featured success stories
SBDCs in the news

Featured Topic: Small Businesses Restore Lost Jobs

"Jobs must be our No. 1 focus in 2010," President Obama said in his State of the Union address. "We should start where most new jobs do, in small businesses." (Read transcript)

Data certainly supports this claim. We're going on record about how small businesses will reverse the growing unemployment trend--as they historically have.

What the president proposed

Facts

The Pennsylvania SBDC helps create thousands of new business and jobs every year. In 2009, clients retained 3,431 jobs and created 1,561 more as a result of SBDC assistance.

Prospective entrepreneurs, including the unemployed, are helped through the process of starting or purchasing a new business.
Existing business owners receive counsel on improving efficiencies and implementing emergency measures to prevent job loss.
SBDCs help businesses strategically consider new markets to boost sales that lead to new hires.

Read more in the most recent independent analysis of the SBDC's long term consulting activities.

Success Stories

We have plenty of examples of small businesses that have created jobs. Journalists, let us know your coverage area. A few from the archive:

Simmonds Veterinary Hospital (Lehigh County) - The president specifically mentioned small business owners in Allentown, Pa. in his speech. Dr. Debby Cougar was among the few that met with the president during his tour of the Lehigh Valley.
Giá Pronto Restaurants (Philadelphia County) - Marco Lentini just opened the fifth of his Gia Pronto "fast casual" Italian food shops. Lentini, 31, is a prime example of small businesses who are creating jobs--exactly why he was chosen to introduce President Obama last March.
Dinsmore Welding and Fabricating (Elk County)
PBM Inc. (Westmoreland County)
Roser Technologies (Crawford County)

Featured Expert

Christian Conroy - State Director, Pennsylvania SBDC

Christian has helped build the Pennsylvania SBDC program into one of the preeminent economic development programs of its type in the country and has testified before both houses of Congress regarding small business issues.

Resources

L & I Report

Another 8,100 jobs disappeared last month, raising the state’s unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, according to the latest Department of Labor and Industry report (January 22, 2010).

The Kauffman Foundation

U.S. Census data shows new and young firms are the primary source of new jobs, according to the Kauffman Foundation's report Where Will the Jobs Come From?

SBA: An Analysis of Small Business and Jobs

Small businesses created some 65 percent of the net new jobs in the private sector, according to conservative estimates cited in a new report from the SBA Office of Advocacy. Economist Brian Headd notes that many of the new jobs are in new business startups, but an even larger share are in expanding firms of all sizes—particularly mid-sized firms with 20-499 employees.

SBA: Small Business Profile of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's 236,775 small employers and 771,520 nonemployers make significant contributions to the state's economy and are an important source of employment. This 2009 profile by SBA's Office of Advocacy uses the latest statistics to describe this in detail.

US Department of Labor - Employment Situation Summary

The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 10.0 percent, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report (Janauary 8, 2010). Employment fell in construction, manufacturing, and wholesale trade, while temporary help services and health care added jobs.

Media Inquiries

To speak with a subject matter expert, connect with some of the thousands of small business owners we count as clients*, learn more about what's happening in a specific region of the state, or request the SBDC logo, contact:

Megan Schmidgal | 214.746.6474 direct

*The Small Business Development Centers hold client information in the strictest confidence. Specific information about clients and the nature of engagement with the SBDC is never released without client consent. However, we are happy to provide information once permission is secured.

You may also wish to speak with our national counterparts.

Sample press clippings

Shippensburg SBDC reaching out to new college grads

PA artisans lean on SBDCs to profit from handmade creations

Zoning, working capital drive decision to move office, says Penn State SBDC

Some businesses benefitting from downturn, notes Indiana University of Pennsylvania SBDC

Kutztown University SBDC program helps Latinos create eight new businesses

Boilerplate

About the Pennsylvania SBDC

Since its inception in 1980, the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) has evolved into a network of 18 university-based centers and more than 100 outreach locations, operating under the guidance of the State Director located at the University of Pennsylvania. Funding support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the SBDC host institutions enables consulting services to be provided at no charge to the client. For more information on the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers’ services and impact, visit www.pasbdc.org.