SBDC takes entrepreneur open house to Jersey County
JERSEYVILLE — Entrepreneurs from around Metro East are invited to an open house sponsored by the Jersey County Business Association and SIUE’s Small Business Development Center.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, small-business owners — and those who want to be — can meet the SBDC staff in one-on-one counseling sessions at the JCBA office, 209 N. State St. in Jerseyville.
Staff from the Metro-East SBDC will be on hand to talk confidentially with current business owners, and with aspiring entrepreneurs, on a range of topics such as:
• business financing
• marketing assistance
• social media strategy
• business plans
• expansion opportunities
• buy and selling a business
• state/federal regulations
• exporting and international trade
Attendees wanting to meet privately with a SBDC counselor are encouraged to request a 30-minute appointment by calling (618) 650-2929.
The SBDC Community Day will also feature a one-hour workshop starting at noon, “Hiring and Keeping the Right Employees,” presented by Marc Voegele, owner of Express Employment Professionals in Glen Carbon and Fairview Heights.
Metro East SBDC Interim Director JoAnn DiMaggio May says these “open house” events are also an effective way to establish connections throughout the region’s business community.
Shari Albrecht serves as economic development director of the Jersey County Business Association.
“We always enjoy SBDC Community Days, and we truly appreciate Shari and the JCBA serving as our host for this one,” said Di Maggio May. “It truly takes a team effort to help small businesses to survive and thrive.”
Di Maggio May and her staff plan to hold at least 10 SBDC Days in 2017.
The Metro East SBDC, housed on the SIUE campus, enhances the region’s economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses. The center assists aspiring entrepreneurs and existing business owners alike that are operating, or intend to, throughout the nine counties that make up its service region. The service region includes Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties.
Small business development centers in Illinois are funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a service to the community.
Contact the Metro East SBDC at (618) 650-2929 or sbdcedw@gmail.com.
