By Holly Riddle
When talking to entrepreneurs in Happy Valley, one thing we hear again and again is praise for the Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) — and for good reason. The SBDC provides free business resources, including counseling, training and relationship-building, for small businesses across all industries throughout Centre, Clinton, Lycoming and Mifflin Counties. In the last fiscal year, the Penn State SBDC served more than 500 business clients, supported more than $32 million in capital formation and helped support more than 1,400 jobs.
To learn more why the SBDC is such a critical part of the Happy Valley entrepreneurial ecosystem, we spoke with Elizabeth Fegert, business consultant, and Director Tim Keohane, who served the Lock Haven University SBDC for nearly two decades, before the Lock Haven University and Penn State SBDCs merged in early 2020.
Elizabeth Fegert business consultant and Director Tim Keohane
25 years of celebrating the entrepreneurial community
This year, the SBDC at Penn State celebrated its 25th anniversary. What’s the importance of this milestone and how has the center evolved into what it is today?
Keohane: Things have grown significantly over time. The size of our staff has grown over those years, in order to have more business consultants to cover the areas we serve. The needs of business owners and entrepreneurs have stayed very much the same, but what I think has changed are the types of things business owners and entrepreneurs are doing today. Our focus as an SBDC is still to help businesses start, grow, prosper. That’s our tagline and what we’ve focused on for our full 25 years, but the way in which the business owners and entrepreneurs come to us and what they need has changed.
Fegert: The 25th anniversary celebration was that it recognized the strength of the small business community across the four counties we serve. One of my favorite parts of this job is the people I get to work with and the amazing entrepreneurs who are driven, intelligent and have a genuine desire to help other people in their communities by meeting a need. The 25th anniversary celebration not only celebrated the work our consultants and network have done to support that population, but it was ultimately a celebration of those small businesses that have come to us seeking support because they want to be successful and they’re knowledgeable enough to know that they don’t know everything. Those individuals, when they come to us and get additional support and champions on their side, are able to accelerate their growth and strengthen their ability to be successful.
Those individuals, when they come to us and get additional support and champions on their side, are able to accelerate their growth and strengthen their ability to be successful.
Making the right connections and championing entrepreneurs
We hear a lot of great things about the SBDC, all the time. What do you feel is the greatest value that the center brings to the Happy Valley entrepreneurial and small business ecosystem? There are a lot of different resources for people in the area to take advantage of, so what do you feel is your sweet spot?
Fegert: Having someone in your corner is essential for small business owners — someone who is there for the sole purpose of helping you succeed, is available when you have a question, can refer you to other resources and help you learn skills you need to be successful as a small business owner. It’s so key. I hear that over and over again from clients who say they’re grateful for our help. People are accustomed to paying for assistance and, due to the nature of our funding, we’re able to provide this support and services free of charge.
The fact that we’re here to champion people, to help them think critically, troubleshoot and make sure that they're making sound and logical decisions that will ensure their long-term success — it’s huge for our clients and why they like working with us.
We’re always working with cool people like that — someone who is passionate, driven, has a unique product to bring to market for a need that’s not being met and is willing to do the work and find the resources and support to expand, grow and be successful.
Keohane: We don't claim to have all the answers, so we can also act as very good facilitators for our clients and for the other ecosystem partners that we work with all the time. There are resources that we can introduce them to, even just within the Penn State entrepreneurial ecosystem, places like the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC and the Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic. Now, a newer resource is OriginLabs, located in downtown State College in the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub.
Sometimes, I think the clients that we work with may not have really known about these resources or found them if it weren't for us making referrals. We’re a really good connector and, if we don't know the specific answer to something that a client needs, we're going to do everything we can to connect the client with the right resource, economic development partner or maybe just another business owner that’s faced a similar challenge.
SBDC success stories
When you think about the impact the SBDC has, the tangible role it plays in the lives of business owners in the area and the difference it makes, are there any client success stories that come to mind?
Keohane: One that definitely comes to mind for me is Oregon Hill Winery. The owner, Karen, was thrust into running the business unexpectedly, because her husband who had started the business, unfortunately, suddenly passed away. She was unsure whether she would even be able to keep the business going. She’d had minimal involvement over the years while he owned the business.
When she came to the SBDC, we talked a lot about what she was going to do moving forward and if she even had the ability to keep this business running. The consultant that she worked with gave her the confidence that, if it was really something she was passionate about and wanted to keep going, she had the ability to do that. She would just have to learn some things and surround herself with people and resources to make sure she was successful. It’s been a great story since. She’s opened two or three satellite locations, is thriving and is really enjoying what she’s doing. She’s able to continue to keep alive what was once her husband’s dream of operating a successful winery.
Fegert: One client we continue to work with is Actuated Medical. Maureen Mulvihill is an amazing, powerful female entrepreneur and an awesome role model. It’s really cool to see a female thriving in tech within the community. During the pandemic, she saw an opportunity to create face shields using the equipment they had and support a need. We helped her get on the PPE directory created by the State of Pennsylvania and helped her secure a new facility to expand operations specific to PPE.
Another entrepreneur is Skye Chang, the owner of Chew Chew Bun in downtown State College. He was a local resident who came back after moving away and saw this cool opportunity to start a bakery inspired by his culture and bring a new service to the market. Initially, he was operating remotely during the pandemic, and then he saw the opportunity to expand into a physical location. He moved into the Nittany Mall, created a production facility and now has a brick-and-mortar store in downtown State College.
We’re always working with cool people like that — someone who is passionate, driven, has a unique product to bring to market for a need that’s not being met and is willing to do the work and find the resources and support to expand, grow and be successful.
The fact that we’re here to champion people, to help them think critically, troubleshoot and make sure that they're making sound and logical decisions that will ensure their long-term success — it’s huge for our clients and why they like working with us.
Want to get involved? Check out these up-and-coming SBDC opportunities
Anything upcoming that our readers need to know about?
Keohane: One of our big events is Global Entrepreneurship Week Penn State, Nov. 13–17. Historically, the event was more student-focused, but in the past few years, we’ve intentionally began moving that event to be more community entrepreneur-focused. Our events this year will be spread throughout the four counties we serve.
It’s a great event and there will be a calendar full of opportunities. We usually have 50–60 events throughout the week, offered in-person, virtual and hybrid. It’s a good opportunity for us to showcase what’s happening throughout our ecosystem.
Fegert: We’re also running a 10-part digital marketing series for small business owners. One area where small business owners consistently need support is with their marketing. This 10-part series will help entrepreneurs market their business from scratch, starting with identifying and building a brand, establishing an online presence and marketing strategy, all the way through social media, video and website content, and email marketing. All the sessions are available on demand, so people can pick and choose what’s relevant to them.
Get more information about the Penn State SBDC and all its free resources, available to local businesses at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey, at https://sbdc.psu.edu.
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