Business center claims 300 jobs across region

According to figures released this month by Northwest Missouri State University, the Northwest Small Business & Technology Development Center — which provides counseling and training services for enterprises with fewer than 500 employees — has played a role in creating 21 new businesses over the past year across an 18-county service area.

Headquartered at Northwest and funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the organization maintains satellite offices in Chillicothe and St. Joseph.

Under the leadership of Larry Lee, who joined the university's administration 11 months ago as director of Northwest's Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the SBTDC claims to have helped create or retained 357 jobs in northwest Missouri between October 2011 and September 2012.

Other statistics show center activities having resulted in businesses increasing sales across the region by $15.8 million and receiving $14.1 million in loans and investments.

"The goal of the SBTDC is to help business owners and potential entrepreneurs meet today's competitive challenges," Lee said. "While these numbers are favorable, we have set our sights on an 8-percent increase for fiscal year 2013, and we are committed to reaching – or even surpassing – that goal."

Lee works out of center's regional office at the CIE, a combination academic facility and business incubator completed four years ago on the Northwest campus. The two other area SBTDC locations are managed by Steve Holt in Chillicothe and Rebecca Evans in St. Joseph.

"In the past year, we have really come together as a team, and a structure has been put in place that allows us to work with small business owners to make a significant impact to our region's economy," Lee said.

"The SBTDC is a tremendous example of a value-add service Northwest Missouri State provides to fuel our region's growth," said Northwest President John Jasinski. "The results are clear that we are assisting the region's small businesses and business owners."

Lee said working to grow small business is very much a function of higher education, and that Northwest's ability to fulfill its mission depends on a robust regional economy.

"If the economic development in our catchment area weakens or even stalls, it could certainly have an adverse impact on the ability of citizens to pursue higher education and the institution's ability to provide a robust academic experience to students," he said. "With that in mind, it's imperative that we all take ownership in supporting area businesses and entrepreneurs and be strong advocates for this region of the state."