Entrepreneurs and small business owners in Delaware County and Southcentral Pennsylvania looking to start or grow a business now have more convenient access to the resources of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) with the opening of new locations at Shippensburg and Widener Universities.

The new centers join 16 other university-based small business development centers through funding provided by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Combining the expertise of a professional staff and the resources of the state's best colleges and universities, the SBDCs provide high quality one-on-one business management consulting, information and educational programs that build small firms’ capacity to compete effectively in domestic and international markets. Addressing topics ranging from compliance issues to marketing tactics, SBDCs serve to inform and assist entrepreneurs with the many tasks a new business owner faces.

University representatives, state community and economic development officials, elected governmental officials and regional business leaders gathered at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg and Widener University in Chester last week to celebrate the additions to the statewide SBDC network.

Senator Dominic Pileggi (second from right) led the Widener University SBDC’s ribbon cutting ceremony.

Senator Dominic Pileggi (R-9), a key champion for the centers’ funding, spoke at the Widener University SBDC grand opening ceremony January 19. “The entrepreneurial assistance provided by the SBDC system has a clear record of success,” Pileggi said. “I am certain Delaware County’s small businesses will benefit tremendously from this resource at Widener University.”

Sharing these sentiments, Representative Rob Kauffman (R-89) voiced his support at the Shippensburg University SBDC ceremony January 18. “SBDCs in Pennsylvania provide a vital service to small business, which is the engine of the economy,” he said. “We are very fortunate to have successfully appropriated the monies to fund a Small Business Development Center right here in the 89th district at Shippensburg University. I’m proud of that effort and believe the entrepreneurs in our region will find great value in having an SBDC right here in our back yard.”

Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers State Director Gregory L. Higgins, Jr. said the SBDCs will help reach a previously underserved population.

“We’ve long seen the need for enhanced SBDC services in these areas,” Higgins remarked. “Economic development efforts must be far-reaching and we were fortunate to have the commitment from key champions in the General Assembly and from Shippensburg and Widener Universities to be able to extend our reach to grow the small business communities in these regions.”

The Shippensburg University SBDC, located in Suite 405 of Grove Hall at 1871 Main Drive in Shippensburg, serves pre-venture entrepreneurs and business owners in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties. For more information, visit www.shipsbdc.org or contact the Shippensburg University SBDC at (717) 477-1935 or via e-mail at sbdc@ship.edu.

The Widener University SBDC, located in Suite 120 of the University Technology Park at 1450 Edgmont Avenue in Chester, will service all of Delaware County. In addition, this SBDC will also host a Procurement Technical Assistance Center to provide in-depth help in pursuing government contract leads. For more information, visit www.widenersbdc.org or contact the Widener University SBDC at (610) 619-8490 or via e-mail at ghmcallister@widener.edu.

As the largest statewide provider of entrepreneurial services, the Pennsylvania SBDCs play a unique and vital role in the Commonwealth’s economic development initiatives. By utilizing the expertise and resources of 18 of the best colleges and universities in the state, the SBDCs are able to assist entrepreneurs in all stages of business across all industry sectors. 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.

In the most recent year studied, the SBDC program helped entrepreneurs add 2,994 new businesses and 10,794 new jobs and achieve over $1.3 billion in new sales. For more information on the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers’ services and impact, visit www.pasbdc.org.

CONTACT

Megan Schmidgal

(215) 898.1219

Photos available upon request. Download a PDF of this release here.