SBDC Tech Forward Initiative

by Glenna E. Cush Like most SBDC’s nationwide, the Maryland Network struggles with providing quality assistance to an ever-growing population of entrepreneurs and small businesses.  As with many SBDC Networks, Maryland finds itself in the position of doing “more with less.” With efficiency and maximizing counselor resources in mind, the Maryland network developed the “Smart Start [...]

by Shane Cohen & Steven Stumbris From scuba diving equipment to video mapping systems, medical devices to concrete mixers, the engineers of Bucknell’s SBDC Engineering Development Services (EDS) have helped innovative entrepreneurs design, develop and launch new products.  Innovation, entrepreneurship, invention and design all come together at EDS … just ask Dennis Kaleta, President, Spectrum Diving Equipment, [...]

by Kyle Hensel Move over, college graduates because there is a new breed of graduates in Georgia. Small business owners across the state are completing the Georgia SBDC Network’s Maximum Contact series. The five week interactive series focuses on teaching students how to use technology to drive sales by using online marketing tools and web [...]

Written by David Thompson Social Networking can be very easy, though it often times seems intimidating at first.  For the web savvy, the methods and means are very simple and intuitive but even those that are only semi-literate in the ways of the web can be taught how to quickly use these tools and how to apply them.  [...]

by Roger Green The New York State SBDC library, known as the Research Network, decided to embrace the so-called Web 2.0 technology relatively early on.  The first blog item to http://sbdcrn.blogspot.com/ was posted on May 24, 2005.  It was prompted in part by one of our then-current librarians, Mary Beth Bobish, coming back from a Special Libraries Association [...]

Written by Randy Nelson & Alan Pruitt Sometime last year we started exploring more efficient uses of technology in our Center. The need was apparent for new technology due to the following areas: We had challenges with our college-based website. For some reason, any changes had to be submitted weeks in advance and there were [...]

by SBTDC Emerging Technologies Fund The Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund (Michigan ETF) is designed to expand funding opportunities for Michigan technology based companies in the federal innovation research and development arena. The Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), dedicated $1.4 million in 2008/2009 to [...]

by Michigan SBTDC The MI-SBTDC Balanced Scorecard was first rolled out to internal network in early 2008. The dashboard illustrates graphically the indicator measures regarding achieving our core Mission: “to positively impact the economy by strengthening existing companies, creating new jobs, retaining existing jobs and assisting companies in defining their path to success.”  Since its initial [...]

by Bob Erwin As first unveiled during the 2008 NASBITE Conference, Export-U.com is a free international business training website that offers streaming webinars on a range of practical trade topics. Now in its second year of development, Export-U is undergoing fundamental changes, as it matures from a simple “quick answer” site into one offering both [...]