campusconnection: the small business center
Small Business Center Secretary Jo Ann Gipe and Director Harry Ponder have helped hundreds of businesses get started and move on to success.
Name: The Small Business Center
Director: Harry Ponder
Location: Enka Site - Incubator Building
Hours:Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Appointments strongly encouraged)
Mission: (As mandated by the state) The objective of the Small Business Center Network is to increase the success rate and the number of viable small businesses in North Carolina by providing high quality, readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business owners and their employees. Each Small Business Center (SBC) will be a community-based provider of education and training, counseling, information and referral.
Highlights:
- The Small Business Center's core services include business seminars and workshops, free confidential business counseling, and access to resources and information. The center can also put you in touch with business and community leaders, as well as local, state and federal agencies.
- In 1984, A-B Tech became one of the initial eight state community colleges to have a Small Business Center.
- During the 2003-04 fiscal year, the Small Business Center held consultations with 147 different people. The center has already held 105 consultations this fiscal year.
- Assistance at the SBC is not limited to those just starting a business. Any small business owner may contact the center with inquiries.
- The SBC is housed within the Small Business Incubator, a facility that was opened in 2001 to give fledgling businesses a better shot at surviving the crucial first years of operation. Occupants are able to lower their cash flow by taking advantage of reduced overhead expenditures, plus they have easier access to the SBC and its resources. The incubator offers not only office space, but has open areas to accommodate warehouse storage and manufacturing.
- Ten companies are currently taking advantage of the Small Business Incubator, ranging from the biotech field to engineers to insurance, with another occupant planning for an in-house food processing facility to be up and running this summer.
- Once the Small Business Incubator has been completely refurbished and all usable space has been made available, Ponder believes that up to 40 businesses could take advantage of the facility, making it one of the largest incubators on the East Coast.
Doin' The Truffle Shuffle
Culinary students Deric McGuffey, Loren Dillingham and Kether Smith prepare the truffles to be sold as a fundraiser for the upcoming Hot Food competition held in Atlanta. All three are planning to make the trip in April.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, the A-B Tech Culinary Club is selling homemade truffles as a fund-raiser. Orders may be placed through Feb. 9 by calling Lee Sokol at ext. 244.
A four-piece box, consisting of one truffle of each flavor, costs $8, and an eight-piece box, two truffles of each flavor, is $15. Truffle flavors are raspberry, hazelnut, chocolate and chocolate mint. Order pick-ups can be made Feb. 12 and 13 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the lobby of the Birch Building.
Proceeds will help A-B Tech's Culinary Hot Food team, winner of the American Culinary Federation's state competition in November, travel to ACF's Southeast regional contest in Atlanta April 29-May 2.
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