

Growing Kansas Entrepreneurs

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About Us

The KSBDC Network provides entrepreneurs and small business owners with knowledge, tools and resources to enhance their success. We help them identify their business needs and guide them toward opportunities and solutions.

A Welcome from the State Director
Personnel
Partners
Advisory Board
Contact Us

A Welcome from the KSBDC State Director - Wally Kearns

Welcome to the Kansas Small Business Development Center (KSBDC)!

"Growing Kansas Entrepreneurs" is the goal of the KSBDC. We accomplish this goal by assisting established firms, growth companies, and start-up enterprises meet the challenges in today's evolving global marketplace.

Our primary focus is on delivering business consulting and management training to small and mid-sized businesses in all of the 105 counties in Kansas. Since our inception in 1983 over 82,000 Kansas entrepreneurs have accessed our services.

KSBDC confidential business consulting services are provided at no cost to the client by our network of eight regional and four outreach centers. Counseling sessions are designed to help clients address start-up issues, marketing, managing a business, business planning, financing, accounting, strategic planning, human resources, taxes, and many other areas. In addition to our business counseling services, the KSBDC Network offers a diverse range of low-cost seminars and no-cost online training that is accessible 24/7.

The KSBDC is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Kansas Department of Commerce, and a wide variety of local economic development and educational institutions. The state-wide host for the KSBDC is Fort Hays State University.

We welcome you as a client and encourage you to access our valuable services. Explore the business counseling services and training sections of our Web site to learn the next steps to access KSBDC services.

We wish you the best of success with your entrepreneurial efforts and appreciate the opportunity to help you along the way!

Sincerely,

Wally Kearns
KSBDC State Director

Personnel

Each Regional SBDC is staffed by professionals with the knowledge and business experience to provide expert counseling and training. Our staff has a wide variety of business experience in many different functional areas and industries. Centers may also utilize faculty, graduate students, volunteers and representatives from business and industry.

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Partners

The Kansas Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) is a partnership program with the US Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Kansas Dept. of Commerce (KDOC). The KSBDC is partially funded by the US Small Business Administration. SBA's funding is not an endorsement of any products, opinions, or services. SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

To offer you the most comprehensive services available, the KSBDC partners with a diverse group of organizations including universities, community colleges, chambers of commerce, financial institutions, cities, counties, and other government agencies.

The eight regional centers and two outreach centers are hosted and funded by:

US Small Business Administration
Kansas Dept. of Commerce
Kansas Association of Certified Development Companies
Universities and Community Colleges
Chambers of Commerce (Lawrence, Manhattan & Topeka)
County Governments (Douglas)
City Governments (Lawrence)

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Advisory Board

The Board consists of 24 members who possess outstanding qualifications and are known to be familiar with small businesses needs and challenges. A majority of the members are from the private sector and are from small businesses, associations representing small businesses or other organizations concerned with small businesses.

Authority and Purpose

In accordance with 15 U.S.C. 648 (j), each SBDC must establish an Advisory Board to:

* provide advice and counsel to the KSBDC Network on matters affecting small business owners, managers and their relationship with the KSBDC. Specifically, advice and counsel concerning the efficient and effective delivery of services to the small business community of Kansas.

* advise in the development of short and long-range plans for the KSBDC, together with the means by which progress toward these goals can be measured.

* assist and promote communication between the Kansas small business community, state government, local economic development groups and other business related organizations in Kansas.

* offer recommendations for improvement of counseling, training, public relations, and resource programs available to the KSBDC.

Role of Advisory Board Members

The primary role and focus of the KSBDC Advisory Board will be the following:

Advocacy - efforts to represent the interests of small businesses within the SBDC's jurisdiction, to improve the climate for small businesses, and to contribute to the vitality of the small business sector.

Capital Formation - efforts to develop or assist in developing capital for small businesses: e.g., loans, micro loans, equity.

Resource Development - activities which promote and/or develop other funding partners to assist the SBDC in its mission;

Economic Development - General activities aimed at supporting/strengthening Kansas' economic environment. Activities may include Agri-Business, Entrepreneurship, Rural Development, Community Development, Convention/Tourism, and Incubators.

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2007 Success Stories

Video of the 2007 award recipients.

The 2007 Emerging and Existing

Businesses of the Year are:

A Box 4 U Wichita

CHC Creative Remodeling Lenexa

Chavez Restoration Lawrence and Topeka

Cocoa Dolce Artisan Chocolates Wichita

Fox Pavilion Hays

Front Row Sports Garnett

JC Mortgage and Title Company Junction City