Missouri Small Business Development Center

Small Business and Technology Development Centers are located throughout the United States at institutions of higher learning. Their focus is to create economic impact through the counseling and training of businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

The Northwest Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) falls under the direction of Northwest Missouri State University and is also sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Northwest SBTDC's geographical region covers 18 counties spanning from Atchison County, southward to Platte County and eastward to Livingston County. There are three offices in the service region of the Northwest SBTDC. The regional office is located in Maryville, Missouri. An office in Chillicothe serves the eastern portion of the region while an office in St. Joseph serves the southern section.

• Provides pragmatic, individual counseling and coaching to small business firms and individuals regarding business issues such as management, marketing and financial analysis throughout northwest Missouri.
• Coordinates and conducts research into technical and general small business problems.
• Conducts conferences and workshops at a nominal charge on various topics of interest to the owners of small business.

The SBTDC helps business owners and potential entrepreneurs meet today's competitive challenges. The SBTDC offers consulting at no charge and follow-up services are available for all programs.

During the last fiscal year, the Northwest SBTDC offices provided almost 2, 000 hours of individual training to nearly 300 clients. The 18 county regional business outreach from the SBTDC has verified $7 million in capital formation throughout the region. The businesses that the Northwest SBTDC assisted created and retained over 400 jobs.

In addition, the Northwest SBTDC held training events for over 350 attendees.

The Small Business and Technology Development Center has developed and cultivated relationships with partners such as the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED), State Legislature, area Chambers of Commerce and Economic Developers throughout the region to increase productivity and partnership possibilities for the SBTDC.