SBA Recognizes Pennsylvania SBDCs as Regional Champions

Brent Rondon of the Duquesne University SBDC was named SBA Minority Champion

The Western Pennsylvania District Office of the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently presented Western Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers with Awards for Excellence.

The Saint Vincent College SBDC won two Awards of Excellence, the Champion Award for Management Consulting and the Champion Award for Educational Programming. The awards are given annually to the SBDC program that best demonstrates their dedication and commitment to SBA programs. The award was presented at the conclusion of the Quality Circle 2008 Small Business Lending Conference sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Association of SBA Guaranteed Lenders.

SBDC Executive Director James Kunkel noted that the “Saint Vincent College SBDC is very proud of the role it plays in the establishment and nurturing of entrepreneurial business ventures in our community. Small business is the backbone of the U.S. economy and is critical to our future economic well being. Our team does an exceptional job of bringing professional expertise and knowledge to the many hard working entrepreneurs that routinely identify opportunities, take risks, make sacrifices, innovate, create jobs and help to improve our overall quality of life.”

“[We are] proud to have an SBDC that offers high-quality management consulting and cutting-edge business seminars,” said Dr. Gary Quinlivan, Dean of the McKenna School of Business, where the SBDC is housed. “Our SBDC is devoted to business creation and expansion and that helps keep our local community strong.”

Brent G. Rondon, Manager of International Programs for the Global Business Program at the Duquesne University SBDC, was also recognized as the SBA’s 2008 Western Pennsylvania Minority Small Business Champion of the Year.

Carl Knoblock, district director of the Pittsburgh District Office of the SBA offered his congratulations. “This past year, you have become a small business champion, sharing your expertise, enthusiasm and hard work with the residents of your community,” he said. Rondon will be formally recognized at an awards luncheon Friday, May 23, 2008 in downtown Pittsburgh.

Rondon, born in the U.S. and raised in Peru, South America, has worked with the SBDC for 10 years to assist Pittsburgh-area companies looking to sell products overseas. In his role as an SBDC consultant, Brent provides one-to-one international trade consulting and international market research and presents exporting seminars. He is a Certified Global Business Professional from the North American Small Business International Trade Educators (NASBITE) and is part of the Pittsburgh Regional Export Network (REN) for which he is delivers export-related training events. Rondon is currently offering a training program “Breaking into the Trade Game” to help companies expand their sales globally. He also manages the Global Trade Institute in Pittsburgh, a program for international CEOs in the region.

Through his fluency in Spanish, English and Portuguese and multiple contacts within the Latino community of Pittsburgh, Rondon has helped several Latinos open their own businesses in the Pittsburgh region through the Program for Immigrant Entrepreneurs at the SBDC.

For instance, Trading Cube Inc., a minority-owned business helped through the program, obtained Phase I and II federal Small Business Innovation and Research grants totaling over $600,000. The software product will help companies to analyze risk and markets in global environments.

Rondon’s Bachelor’s Degree is in Agricultural Engineering and he earned a Master’s Degree of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. To all area partners, clients and colleagues, Rondon says, “Gracias a todos, ya que siento que no llegaria a esto si no fuera por ustedes.” [Thanks to all of you that in any way, shape or form have been instrumental for me to get this award.]

Pennsylvania SBDC Clients Garner Third of $1M State Grant Funding for Environmental Improvements

Lehigh Valley Ice owner and SBDC client Edward Ressler stands next to his ice delivery truck. Ressler was awarded a Small Business Advantage Grant to purchase equipment that can produce biodiesel from waste vegetable oil.

Fifty-one small businesses in the Commonwealth are becoming greener this year, with the help of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The DEP recently announced the 2007-2008 winners of its popular Small Business Advantage Grant program, which opened on August 11, 2007 and was forced to stop accepting applications three weeks later due to record-breaking demand. During those three weeks, environmental consultants with the SBDC’s Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) worked quickly to help their clients submit applications for the first-come, first-served program. Their efforts paid off, as businesses working with EMAP received more than 30 percent of the total $1 million in available funding.

DEP Small Business Advantage Grants of up to $7,500 are awarded to Pennsylvania small businesses, on a 50 percent cost-share basis, to implement equipment or processes that result in energy efficiency or pollution prevention. EMAP consultants throughout the state helped 58 businesses identify viable projects and prepare grant applications for the 2007-2008 funding cycle. Of these, 51 EMAP clients were awarded $300,195 for projects as diverse as heating and cooling system upgrades, energy efficient lighting installations, and a solar power system.

As owner of One-Stop Communications in Lewistown, SBDC client Mike Buffington greatly appreciates the assistance provided by the environmental program, stating “[the] SBDC helped us obtain two DEP Small Business Advantage Grants to make our locations more energy efficient. One-Stop Communications would never have received these grants without [the EMAP consultant’s] help.”

Advantage Grant funding allows small firms to implement beneficial projects by offsetting the often prohibitive upfront costs. The grants help business owners improve their bottom lines while conserving natural resources and preventing pollution.

By implementing their energy efficiency and pollution prevention projects, the 51 grant-winning businesses will save an estimated $223,226 per year. The environmental upgrades will also lead to impressive annual reductions: carbon dioxide emissions (2,225 tons), electricity consumption (129,635 kWh), natural gas consumption (339,140 therms), fuel oil consumption (17,030 gallons) and water consumption (469,840 gallons).

Visit www.askemap.org for more information about EMAP and to learn how businesses can start saving and make contributions to a cleaner environment.