The Small Business Development Center at the University of Texas Pan American has one goal – to help make sure all small businesses succeed, and according to the Association of Small Business Development Centers, the national accrediting body to which the center answers to every four years, it’s doing just that.
The UTPA SBDC, which offers free and confidential one-to-one counseling services to existing and prospective business owners, was officially awarded full accreditation in January after being rigorously reviewed.
The center, which opened its doors in 1986 and is now one of approximately 1,000 centers in the United States, goes through this process every four years.
SBDC Program Director Maria D. Juarez says that this accreditation ensures that public investment in the program, which includes monies from federal and state government, as well as from the host institution, in this case UTPA, will result in strong returns for the Texas economy.
“Accreditation of the UTPA SBDC means that our community and students get consistently great business development services, as well as a return on the investment by the State,” she said.
Juarez, who started working with the center as a business development adviser in November 2002, has been the program director since April 2005.
The center advises anyone who has a business or wishes to start one. The staff counsels small business owners on different areas including finance, marketing, accounting, human resources, and research.
Juarez says the group averages about 20 seminars per month on topics such as tax issues, procurement, international trade and legal advice. She adds they help answer all types of questions ranging from “How to start?” to “Where do I go from here?”
The center is open to the general public and members encourage any student or person who is interested in starting a business to pay them a visit.
Former UTPA student Jessica Rodriguez, 24, started her own candy bouquet business last July. The owner of Unique Creations and Gifts was not aware of the center, but sees great benefit in it.
“It’s awesome that something like that exists,” said the San Juan native. “I had to learn the hard way because there’s no handbook you can read that will tell you how to do it. There are many things people don’t know about running a business.”
And that’s exactly what the center tries to do – educate the community about managing a business.
Rodriguez remembers stressing out after learning that someone was going to appraise her business and essentially charge her for the amount of display cases she had in store.
“I probably could’ve saved myself some suffering had I known about this center earlier,” she said.
Juarez says the center helps owners make business plans and complete loan proposals, as well as helping get them in contact with other types of assistance if needed.
“The primary client of the SBDC is the small-business owner, whether he/she is a UTPA student, staff, faculty, or a small-business owner or entrepreneur in the community,” Juarez said.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a federal agency that aims to protect America’s business, small business is the engine of economic growth.
The organization’s Web site states that there are currently over 22 million such businesses in America and that the number is rapidly growing. More than 800,000 were started last year alone.
Small business accounts for 99 percent of all U.S. commerce, employing 53 percent of the private work force and contributing over half of the nation’s private gross domestic product.
And because of this, the center continues to develop ways to inform the public.
“The SBDC staff always has plans in progress,” Juarez said.
She notes that the center will host financial workshops throughout the Rio Grande Valley, as well as an Emergency Preparedness Summit at South Padre Island. They will also partner up with UTPA’s Career Services to offer a set of workshops for students and the entrepreneurial community.
For more information, contact the center at 292-7535 or visit them at utpa.edu/sbdc.
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