Continuing Education, International & Summer Programs
Summary of Assessment Accomplishments

Program Name: SBDC Academic Year: 2002-03
Submitted by: Pat Fligor

Department Service/Learning Outcomes:

Small Business Development Center at Bowling Green State University, Continuing Education International and Summer Programs/Continuing Education is one of community partners with Ohio Department of Development's SBDC program. The resources available to the center and clients are immeasurable. This allows us to develop community outreach to enhance our counseling/referral service to foster a strong climate for small business growth. We are proud to be part of the university family.

Center Director has been attending the various Chambers of Commerce functions for Bowling Green Chamber, Perrysburg Chamber, North Baltimore Chamber, and Weston Chamber. Director Fligor attended the OSU Sea Grant's State Legislative/Congressional Day. These activities proved to be great networking events to promote the SBDC at BGSU. Director Fligor developed a working relationship with the Ron Overmyer and Mary Donnell at the OSU Extension/Agriculture Business Enhancement Center to help agriculture businesses with their business plans.

Director Fligor is completing the Executive Masters of Organizational Development program at BGSU for several purposes. One purpose is to establish a firmer working relationship with the Graduate School another is to enhance professional development in the field of Organizational Development for the director.

ADVOCACY

Center staff continues to publicize SBDC resources and operations with presentations to civic, business, and service groups throughout the BGSU area. Director Fligor continues to serve on the Workforce Development Committee that is being hosted by the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce. Director Fligor represented the SBDC at the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and also participates in the Business Development Committee for BG Chamber. Center staff represented the SBDC at Perrysburg Chamber and North Baltimore Chamber and Weston Chamber's annual meetings, where the Center Director holds memberships. The center is also represented on the Ohio Economic Development Council. This year, Director Fligor is Vice President of Membership Services for Ohio Development Association and participates in Board of Directors and attends the spring and fall conferences.

The SBDC Advisory Counsel continues to be strong and supportive. If an advisory council member changes position within their organization, the organization is replacing the person in order to maintain continuity.

Sue Clark, Director of Bowling Green Community Development Foundation, assists with business counseling to clients as "Local in-kind" match for our program. Sue Clark administers the BG Revolving Loan Fund and developed the RLF program this year for the Downtown Businesses who have been impacted by the Heritage 2000 Project. Additionally, the SBDC also continues to participate with Revolving Loan Funds in the cities of Perrysburg, Bowling Green and Henry County. WSOS Community Action Commission is administering the Micro Enterprise Loan Fund Program through Community Development Commission funds again this year. The WSOS Micro Loan Fund Program serves citizens of Wood, Seneca, Ottawa and Sandusky Counties. Maumee Valley Planning Commission is also administering the Micro Enterprise Business Development program in Henry County. SBDC at BGSU Continuing Education continues to nominate candidates' proposals to request financing through these programs for their businesses start up or expansion. These Micro Enterprise Loan Funds will continue to make a difference in our program for potential or existing businesses in our area.

Through participating banks, the SBDC also makes use of the various SBA loan guarantee programs and utilizes the Ohio Linked Deposit program, as well as Revolving Loan Fund programs that are available to clients when applicable.

Access to capital report for the year to the Ohio SBDC for our clients from the SBDC at BGSU is $1,913,500 total loans approved. These clients are making a difference in our economy. Counseling overview summary from July 1, 2001 to July 31, 2002 is 1,878 hours of counseling time given to clients in our area.

Center Director and counselors are working closely with the Center for Policy Analysis and Public Service at Bowling Green State University to develop our partnership program. We continue to enhance our relationship with the Edison Industrial Systems Center referring clients with unique technical needs to the Edison Center. This year, the SBDC is working with BGSU Computer Continuing Education, EISC, Toledo Chamber, Terra Community College and Maumee Valley Planning in order to promote and develop the eBusiness Training Program in conjunction with BGSU Computer Training Center in Northwest Ohio.

SBDC Director was elected and served President of BG Exchange Club FY 2001-02. Exchange Club is a community support organization whose main focus is helping children's projects, Americanism and Child Abuse Prevention.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Center continues to utilize the Northwest Ohio office of the U. S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Division, and the International Trade Assistance Center located in Toledo. Small Business Development Center at BGSU Continuing Education has been working closely with the Department of International Business at BGSU. This center makes efforts to enhance the efforts to reach out to minority business population and special programs as well as all clients who have business questions. We provide one-on-one counseling, mentor and referral service to those who seek these services with guidance in developing business plans and information needed to extend business ideas. In addition, the center has been seeing an increase in the number of Hispanic origin clients although that population is not demographically high in numbers in our area.

RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Center staff has assisted WSOS Community Action Commission personnel in identifying appropriate small businesses and rural communities for the new Ohio Rural Enterprise Program (OREP), Project Good Start, Daycare Loan Program as well as the Micro-Enterprise Loan Program. These programs help businesses in rural communities with emphasis on environmental compliance.

During this fiscal year, center Director Pat Fligor was successful in strengthening the partnership with Bowling Green State University, continuing Education and writing the RFP for fiscal year 2001-02. The Graduate College of Business Administration provides a Graduate Assistant to the SBDC as Cash Match. The Graduate College of Business is identifying graduate students who are learning to be consultants to work on projects of SBDC identified companies through the Ohio Graduate School Competition. The synergy between the organizations within the University will prove to be beneficial for the community.

SBDC at BGSU Continuing Education program with cooperation of Continuing Education, International and Summer Programs and Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce Enterprise Works program developed and presented new curriculum of Self-Assessment Workshop for individuals who do not know if self-employment is the direction to take. We also presented the entrepreneurial curriculum of NxLeveL Entrepreneurial Training Program fall 2000 and spring of 2001 with 10 students and the fall semester has 14 students.

PROCUREMENT

Center Director Fligor attended the SBA HUB Zone presentation for businesses that would like to apply for preference in Government Contracting. This year we have referred clients the services of Richard Archer of the Procurement and Technical Assistance Center at the BGSU Jerome Library to help clients with government procurement ideas, depending on the area of service needed. Director Fligor remains cooperative with all the partners to help enhance the PTAC program within BGSU.

SPECIAL FOCUS GROUPS

The SBDC at BGSU Continuing Education continues our Advisory Committee quarterly meetings. This committee has proven to be productive and helps keep the word out about the services we offer. Local representatives of banks, chambers of commerce and economic development groups are represented on this committee.

The SBDC continues to place special emphasis on publicizing our services and capabilities to smaller communities located in the outlying portions of our area. The basis of this initiative is to provide opportunities for those who may have faced geographic barriers to obtaining business success and an enhanced rural quality of life. The success of this special focus is being reinforced by the diversity of addresses now appearing on our Request For Counseling Reports.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Center staff continues to work with the Wood County Economic Development Commission and the Bowling Green Community Development Foundation in the attraction of new businesses and the retention and expansion of existing businesses. Attending groundbreaking celebrations with the Economic Development groups helps gain attention for the SBDC and builds partnerships. Director Fligor participates with the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce in the Business Development Committee. The purpose of this committee is to help the Chamber Board with direction to identify community business needs and develop goals to help chamber members achieve objectives. The Center also assists in creating a business environment that is conducive to success in today's changing business climate.

Center Director Fligor completed in the Economic Development Financial Professional Certification Program sponsored by National Development Council. This certification program is presented to provide an advanced, broad-based education for the professional economic developer incorporating skills and subjects required to carry out an economic development program.

This year Director Fligor serving as Vice President of Member Services for the Ohio Development Association. The mission of the Ohio Development Association is to strengthen the economic climate in Ohio by being the resource for education, information and networking opportunities to economic development practitioners and those who are committed to the economic advancement of their communities and the state.

RESEARCH

The SBDC at BGSU Continuing Education is working closely with Bowling Green Community Development Foundation, Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, Main Street BG and the city of Bowling Green to complete a research project that update the database with information of the population/space of the downtown area. We are also working with those partners to develop an upgraded demographic presentation for the entities to use for information to our respective clients.