[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1873-S1874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

  Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, today I would like to honor the exceptional 
impact made by America's small business development centers on the 
small business community. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Small 
Business and Entrepreneurship, I recognize the importance of the work 
done by the nearly 1,000 small business development centers across 
America. This SBA resource partner works tirelessly to support the 
backbone of our economy, and we thank them for their significant 
contributions to our small business community.
  America's small business development centers, or SBDCs, provide our 
country's small businesses with high-quality consulting and educational 
programs, at low or no-cost to the entrepreneur. With centers in all 50 
States, this network supports both established small businesses and 
developing entrepreneurs alike. SBDCs help America's entrepreneurs 
develop and execute individual business plans tailored to fit their 
needs, experience, and level of business acumen.
  SBDC staff understand the unique local challenges of entrepreneurship 
specific to their area which is one of the many things that sets their 
services apart. This tailored approach benefits nearly 500,000 
entrepreneurs a year and creates over 95,000 jobs annually. 
Additionally, sales growth in SBDC clients averages 13.6 percent, a 
rate four times greater than the national average. These statistics 
demonstrate America's small business development centers' dedication to 
excellence, and I congratulate them on their hard work.
  In my home State of Idaho, the Idaho small business development 
center is determined to help businesses grow with consulting and 
training. Last year, the Idaho SBDC achieved a return on investment of 
five to one, and created over 1,300 jobs. Their network served over 
1,600 clients and helped start more than 100 businesses. One of these 
clients is House of Design, a robotics and systems firm located in 
Nampa. House of Design offers engineering consulting, robotic system, 
and machine vision integration services across a variety of industries. 
Shane Dittrich, the owner of House of Design, believes that his company 
would not be where it is today without SBDC assistance. Since its 
inception in 2008, House of Design has grown into one of the top 
engineering firms in the region and now partners with multiple firms 
across Idaho to produce high-quality engineering and robotics products. 
House of Design is an example of both the unique entrepreneurial spirit 
of Idaho as well as the impact SBDCs have on small businesses across 
America.
  I would like to thank and congratulate America's small business 
development centers for their efforts this past year. The support they 
provide to small businesses across our country is considerable, and it 
is my pleasure to recognize today, the March 21, 2018, as SBDC Day. I 
wish them the best of luck and continued success as they move forward 
in their work to enhance American entrepreneurs.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today, as the ranking member of the Senate 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I wish to recognize 
America's small business development centers, SBDC, and the vital role 
this national business assistance and counseling network plays in 
supporting economic development, job creation, and success at our Main 
Street small businesses.
  The mission of the nationwide SBDC network is to help America's 
entrepreneurs realize the dream of businessownership and assist 
existing small businesses in adapting to the changing marketplace and 
compete in the global economy.
  SBDCs are hosted by universities, colleges, and State economic 
development agencies and funded in part by our Small Business 
Administration. There are nearly 1,000 SBDC service centers and 4,000 
SBDC consultants available to provide free and low-cost business 
consulting and training to help entrepreneurs write a business plan, 
access capital, market their products, and recover when a disaster 
strikes.
  SBDCs offer a great return on investment for taxpayers. It is 
estimated that SBDC small business clients create a new job every 5 
minutes and a new business every 30 minutes and generate $100,000 in 
capital every 10 minutes. Job growth for SBDC clients is more than 14 
times higher than job growth for an average business.
  Last year, the Maryland SBDC at the University of Maryland in College 
Park assisted almost 8,000 businesses, counseled 2,200 entrepreneurs, 
and helped train nearly 5,700 businessowners. Small business services 
provided by the Maryland SBDC led to the creation of 208 businesses and 
1,251 jobs and access to $49 million in capital.

[[Page S1874]]

  Behind the statistics are real Marylanders who realized their small 
business dream with the help of an SBDC consultant, like a women-owned 
restaurant in Baltimore called Flavor.
  In 2015, Julia and Vanna Belton went to their local SBDC office for 
help securing a business loan. After months of tinkering with their 
business plan and adjusting their loan paperwork, their SBDC consultant 
guided Julia and Vanna to approval on an $800,000 SBA loan they used to 
purchase and renovate a building for their restaurant.
  Today, the restaurant has $1.2 million in revenue and 30 full and 
part-time employees. Last year, they were named Maryland's ``2017 
Women-owned Business of the Year.''
  Flavor is just one of the millions of small businesses and 
entrepreneurs who have been touched by America's Small business 
development centers over the last 35 years. I ask my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing the dedicated men and women of America's small 
business development center network and to thank them for their 
commitment to the small businesses that drive the American economy.
  Thank you.

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