08 Oct UND-hosted North Dakota Small Business Development Centers granted five-year reaccreditation
There are nine centers across North Dakota — in all 53 counties — with lead center on UND campus
The North Dakota Small Business Development Centers (ND SBDC) has been reaccredited for five more years.
ND SBDC was established in 1986 and the University of North Dakota has been the program host since its inception. Current leadership joined the network shortly after ND SBDC had a rigorous accreditation review in the Fall of 2014 and needed to successfully address numerous conditions in order to remain qualified to receive federal funding.
“We’ve worked hard over the last five years to really turn around the program and network here in North Dakota,” says David K. Martin, state director. “I am so appreciative of the hard work that our entire staff put in to this round of accreditation and proud to say that this review came through with zero conditions and one commendation.”
The North Dakota Small Business Development Center was reviewed during the week of May 19-24, 2019 by Jody Keenan, chair of the ASBDC Accreditation Committee and state director of the Virginia SBDC, along with Janice Washington, state director of the Arizona SBDC. The review encompassed the general accreditation standards developed and deployed in cooperation with the program’s federal funding partner, the U.S. Small Business Administration. The ASBDC accreditation process reviews daily operations of the SBDC network, focusing on strengthening management and results, and encouraging continuous improvement.
“The ND SBDC is commended for both its exceptional dedication and commitment to the pursuit of continuous improvement,” said Keenan.
Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs can go to their local SBDCs for free face-to-face business consulting and at-cost training, on topics including business planning, accessing capital, marketing, regulatory compliance, technology development, international trade and much more.
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private sector partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the SBA as well as receiving state and local match funding. There are nearly 1,000 centers available across the country to provide no-cost business advising and training to new and existing businesses.
Here in North Dakota, there are nine centers across the state serving clients in all 53 counties with the Lead Center located in Gamble Hall on the UND campus. If you are interested in utilizing our services, visit our website at www.ndsbdc.org to get started.
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Contact:
David Martin
North Dakota SBDCs Director
701.777.6825
David.k.martin@UND.edu