Detroit Lakes — Minnesota State Community and Technical College has been selected as the new host of the Minnesota Midwest Small Business Development Center for a three-year period beginning January 1. 1.
M State was selected for its proven commitment to business development, existing resources, expansive geographic and demographic footprint, and established partnerships with regional businesses and industries.
The center will begin on M State’s Moorhead campus in January. January 1, 2023 and continues through 2025. The campus is located at 1900 28th Avenue S. in Moorhead.
“I have absolute confidence that Minnesota State Community and Technical College will do a great job of providing the best consulting, training and business assistance to residents and small business clients in the area,” wrote Minnesota Small Business Director Bruce Strong . Network of Business Development Centers, in his congratulatory letter to M State.
The center will have an accessible office and meeting area and will be open full time, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during normal university hours. M State will also host part-time satellite locations throughout the region as needed.
Serving Clay, Becker, Otter Tail, Wilkin, Grant, Douglas, Traverse, Pope and Stevens counties, the Minnesota Midwest Small Business Development Center is one of nine regional SBDC offices in the state. SBDC was established in 1980 to help small businesses start, grow and succeed, providing free one-on-one professional business consulting services and helping businesses access investment capital.
“Hosting a regional SBDC office at M State will present exciting opportunities for our students, our community partners, and anyone in the region interested in starting or growing a business,” said M State President Carrie Brimhall. “M State is well suited for this mission, our long history of educating and serving students in the region and our success in building relationships with our communities and partnering with region businesses.”
SBDC’s clients include business owners, students, entrepreneurs and others who receive real-world advice from hand-picked consultants on everything from developing a business plan to selling a business. M State will utilize the Academy’s workforce development solutions to recruit existing faculty, contract consultants and trainers to provide these consultations.
Marsha Weber, dean of the M State College of Business and Information Technology, credits the workforce development solution as “one of the reasons we have such a strong reason to have the SBDC office here.” Weber and M State Grant Coordinator Cindy Bailey wrote and submitted M State’s proposal to host the center.
“We could really help SBDC with our custom training sector workforce development solutions – the two would be a great complement,” Weber said. “I think in the communities we serve and the regions we serve, the entrepreneurial environment is ripe for new entrants. Both SBDC and Workforce Development Solutions can identify and respond to the needs of incoming entrepreneurs and small business owners.”
A number of support stakeholders are assisting M State in identifying and recommending SBDC clients, training development, outreach, material distribution, and collaborative projects. These partners include the City of Moorhead, Downtown Moorhead Inc., the West Central Initiative and the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, among others.
A full-time Regional Director will be hired to manage M State’s SBDC Center, and a Program Coordinator will handle support duties such as client scheduling and bookkeeping.
Concordia College in Moorhead has been the host of the regional SBDC since 2011 and will continue to host until the end of the year.
SBDC is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, and other local partners.
As a member of the Minnesota State System, M State offers credit-bearing courses to more than 7,000 students each year in more than 70 online career and liberal arts programs, and at its locations in Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead, and Ward Services are available on campus. In partnership with the community, the college also offers workforce development services and other responsive training programs.