APPAREL ADVENTURE TO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

Posted by Macy Thomas
On August 23, 2019

Carlton Grubb could teach students in the University of Georgia Terry College of Business’ Entrepreneurship Program a thing or two about running a successful home-based business when she goes to […]

Posted by Macy Thomas
On August 13, 2019

Navy veteran Frank Brown leads his three-year-old Columbus company, IPCE LLC, by four core values: integrity, quality, care and service. Additionally, he encourages his team members to learn something new […]

Sound Business Planning Produces Runaway Sales In Global Markets

Posted by Ashley Panter
On April 22, 2019

Roswell equipment makers Andal and Balu Balasubramanian are feeding the foodie revolution now raging from coffee shops to craft breweries: an explosion of bean-to-bar dark chocolates. And their equipment empowers […]

SBDC Client Wins 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year

Posted by Ashley Panter
On April 8, 2019

UGA Professor Teams Up With SBDC to Help Clean Up Explosives

Posted by Ashley Panter
On March 12, 2019

Mining, construction, the oil industry and other civil uses account for about 90 percent of the explosives manufactured globally. The defense industry uses about 10 percent. All have a similar need: […]

Sound Startup Advice Leads to Rapid Growth for Canine Rehab Center

Posted by Ashley Panter
On February 20, 2019

Certification Leads to Larger Orders, Greater Growth for Macon Fabrication Shop

Posted by Ashley Panter
On February 13, 2019

Stan Greene, owner of Greene Machine and Manufacturing, was ready to retire when he asked Larry Collins, who had worked with Greene since the late 1990s, if he would be […]

Knowledge, Networking and Persistence Bring Disaster Relief to Mid-Georgia Manufacturer

Posted by Ashley Panter
On February 13, 2019

MF&H Textiles is Taylor County’s largest single-point private employer with nearly 50 employees. Its 19-acre campus between Columbus and Macon was dead in the path of Hurricane Irma on September […]

A UGA-Assisted Doggy Day Care and Dog Treat Bakery in Savannah is Thriving

Posted by Ashley Panter
On January 23, 2019

When Tonya and Nick Rintye decided to open a day care and boarding facility for dogs, they went to the UGA Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) in Savannah for assistance. […]

Dogged Determination Results in Veterinary Practice for UGA Graduate

Posted by Ashley Panter
On January 3, 2019

When Jennifer Peterson was young, her father, an architect, would draw designs for the veterinary practice she hoped to own someday. While enrolled in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, she […]

Finance And Marketing Assistance Put Tour Operator On The Path To Rapid Growth

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On July 30, 2018

VIP Tours president Christina Ernst is a seasoned travel agent who grew up in White County. So when the chamber of commerce leadership, county commissioners and local winery owners were […]

Marketing Strategies Launch Hiram Medical Retailer, Growth Expands It into Commercial Realty

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On July 30, 2018

Three women shopping during the Great Recession – wife, sister and mom – led young Tyler Wilson and his wife, Marissa, to form what is now a rapidly growing retail […]

Updated Financials, Better Data Land Loan for Valdosta Wake Compound

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On July 30, 2018

Valdosta State University students Luke Tilt and Quinn Silvernale competed together on the university’s wake boarding team. Tilt was required for his business class to develop a plan for an […]

Best Practices in Business Help Dunwoody-based Special Education Practice Expand

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On July 30, 2018

Becky Lamont dedicated the first 17 years of her career serving public school districts as a special education teacher and administrator, rising to program manager in the Fairfax County Public […]

Creative Approach Restores Bank’s Interest in Hephzibah Automotive Shop

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On July 30, 2018

Muscle cars are Doug Springer’s passion. A registered nurse who sells medical devices from Augusta, he admits he has owned almost every make and model of hot rod made in […]

Targeted Marketing Campaign Leads Atlanta Video Marketer to New Heights

Posted by Ashley Panter
On May 31, 2018

Creative Internet Authority is more than a name for Montina Portis’s Roswell-based video marketing business. Establishing one’s authority and creating a reputation for knowledge and opinions that are respected by […]

Financial Future Secure for Ellijay Family Orchard

Posted by Ashley Panter
On May 30, 2018

Ellijay farmer John Reece can see the house he grew up in from the Apple House at his Ellijay business, BJ Reece Orchards. John and his wife Rachel have grown […]

Improved Understanding of Financials Helps Atlanta Aviation Company Soar

Posted by Ashley Panter
On May 25, 2018

Dan Casey was looking for a location for a new business after selling his Oxnard, California-based helicopter tour company. His brother Sean was closing his 10-year-old residential real estate business […]

Lending and Marketing Assistance Help Put Augusta Meat Market on the Map

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On April 6, 2018

Meat markets and butcher shops nationwide are losing more and more customers to competition from traditional grocery stores, super centers and nontraditional food retailers like Target. But don’t tell Wayne […]

ExportGA Expands Woodstock Business’s Global Reach

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On April 6, 2018

Georgia’s 2016 SBA Exporter of the Year for 2016, Carl Hazenberg, enjoys telling potential customers that his Woodstock Company, Everlast Synthetic Products, has done business on six of the seven […]

Improved Accountability Drives Success For Middle Georgia Retailer

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On April 6, 2018

Savings and sustainability go hand-in-hand in Brad Bishoff’s Cartridge World. Any business that uses printer toner or ink –from retailers to legal offices and hospitals– can save up to a […]

Improved Financials Position Savannah BBQ Owner for Rapid Growth

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On March 2, 2018

Bryan Furman was a laser operator at the JCB manufacturing plant in Pooler, GA when he decided to start a small BBQ business on the side. “I have a passion for cooking and felt like there was […]

GrowSmart® Brings The Business Long View To An Atlanta Production Company

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On March 2, 2018

Wendy Eley Jackson possesses the creative credentials eagerly sought by film and television production companies. She developed her artistry while working at TriStar, Sony and TBS. After a while in […]

Learning Business Basics Leads To Success For New Winder Medical Practice

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On March 2, 2018

Dr. Maria Clarissa Visitacion moved from Buffalo, New York, to Winder in 2011, recently graduated from residency training. She joined the local hospital and began sharing her ideas for better patient care with […]

New Management Practices Promise A Bright Future For Established Middle Georgia Business

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On March 2, 2018

Small, start-up businesses are not the only type of company that can learn from experts at the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center. Associated Paper is a case in […]

New Processes Recharge Profits For Cornelia Business

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On March 2, 2018

A&A Electric has supported the needs of Cornelia and the town’s surrounding counties since Herschel and Runette Ansley opened it in 1969. When Hershel retired in 1991, the next generation […]

Grass-Fed Beef Producer Revives Old Business Model and Creates New Jobs

Posted by Ashley Panter
On March 1, 2018

Will Harris’s day starts much like his father’s and his grandfather’s and his great-grandfather’s did: with his boots planted firmly in the same fresh-smelling, fertile soil of his ancestral farm […]

Aid in Securing USDA Loan Places Southwest Georgia Product in Stores Across the U.S.

Posted by Ashley Panter
On February 23, 2018

Ray Crosby knows his bees and honey. A third-generation farmer who lives with his family in the rural southwest Georgia town of Omega, he understands what makes his product—packaged as […]

From Model to Medical Practice

Posted by Ashley Panter
On February 23, 2018

Solid financial planning turns unique vision into thriving middle Georgia practice. After several years of working in other practices, Dr. Jeff Langford, a specialist in allergy and immunology, wanted to […]

An Elf’s Success

Posted by Ashley Panter
On December 21, 2017

The UGA SBDC helped catapult “The Elf on the Shelf” to stardom. Here’s how: Since helping Carol Aebersold and her twins, Christa Pitts and Chanda Bell launch the best-selling […]

Guidance Through Loan Process Helps Metro Atlanta Restaurateur Triple His Locations

Posted by Ashley Panter
On October 4, 2017

Diego Velasquez had worked in Georgia’s restaurant industry more than 14 years – moving up to district manager for a major chain – when he opened his first Tacos and […]

Campaign Approach to Marketing Feeds Sales at Atlanta Pizzeria

Posted by Ashley Panter
On September 5, 2017

Slice Pizzeria, tucked away on Poplar Street in downtown Atlanta, celebrated its tenth anniversary in November 2016. Its business partners Brian Agee and Karen Smiley moved from their first pizzeria […]

Strategically Grown: Operational Assessment First Step to Optimizing Expansion of Atlanta Gelato Business

Posted by Sara Bertolini
On August 28, 2017

Wes Jones and Jackson Smith grew up as best friends in their north Atlanta neighborhood. At some point, says Jones, “we thought it would be fun to start a business […]

SBDC Training Shows Columbus Businessman Several Best Practices for Growth

Posted by Ashley Panter
On June 22, 2017

Financial Modeling Offers Clear Path to Expanded Production for Alma Blueberry Grower

Posted by Ashley Panter
On June 19, 2017

Blueberries have become Georgia’s leading fruit crop. Their production, at 96 million pounds this year, outpaces peaches and has a $1 billion impact on the economy. But what to do […]

Full Knowledge of Funding Options Helps Launch New Macon Brewpub

Posted by Ashley Panter
On June 15, 2017

“I found out that Josh and the SBDC were resources small businesses could use, for free. I thought, ‘Wow, here’s a guy who’s like an extension of my staff. Why wouldn’t I go to him?’ We got to talking, and he told me about the financing, market analysis and other help he could provide."

Financial Projections Lead to Expanded Concept for Brunswick Business

Posted by Ashley Panter
On June 15, 2017

Digital Entrepreneur Sharpens Own Business Practices By Teaching

Posted by Molly Knight
On May 30, 2017

Garrett Massey’s web development start-up, Eyesore Inc., is in its fourth office since its 2007 launch, a historic Coca-Cola bottling facility in downtown Griffin. With nine full-time staff and annual […]

Careful Planning Gives Award-Winning Savannah Dessert Bar Owners Room to Expand

Posted by Ashley Panter
On May 15, 2017

From their beginning, Janine Finn and Rebecca Radovich had the right ingredients for a successful dessert enterprise, mixing Finn’s solid business experience with Radovich’s creative food and catering expertise. Starting […]

The Right Tools and Structure Make Growth Possible for Atlanta Translation Business

Posted by Ashley Panter
On January 20, 2017

See how the #UGA #SBDC helped this #smallbiz grow their sales by 30%. "When nobody else wanted to help me out, they were there."

New Model Adds Greater Value to Celebrated South Georgia Winery

Posted by Ashley Panter
On November 2, 2016

“The Cowarts were already successfully producing a value-added product in the winery. You could see the potential for adding another business,” says Finney. “We put together all the pieces that showed how the distillery would work and how they would use more of their wine in the product.”

Posted by Emily Ambrose
On September 21, 2016

Mike Aldridge went into commercial printing in the Atlanta area just a year out of high school. After a career in the industry, he began to think about running his […]

Strong Financials Realize Vision for Clarkston Educational Center Owner

Posted by Ashley Panter
On September 13, 2016

Alex Cesar knew from an early age that she’d run a school. Inspired by her grandmother, a principal, Alex would sometimes join her in the classroom. She eventually taught special […]

Financial Projections Expand and Support a Savannah Tradition

Posted by Ashley Panter
On September 13, 2016

By all accounts, the Gretchen Greene School of Dance is a Savannah tradition. Founded in 1969 by a Savannah native who danced as a Radio City Music Hall Rockette, the […]

Target Market Expansion Puts Atlanta Rubber and Plastic Supplier in the Right Hands

Posted by Ashley Panter
On June 9, 2016

Movies can transport a viewer into another world, if only temporarily. In 2009 Nelson Burke spotted some props in a Georgia-produced movie that transformed his business. By 2015 his new focus had led The Engineer Guy to more than $3 million in sales.

Business Essentials Steer Cumming Auto Parts Company into the Fast Lane

Posted by Ashley Panter
On May 5, 2016

Brothers Kevin and Randy Redd make Ford and Chevy street cars both fast and “fly.” Their uniquely designed Concept One high performance pulley systems mount on an engine and drive […]

Careful Pre-Planning Helps Complex Industrial Business Secure an SBA Loan

Posted by Ashley Panter
On May 4, 2016

Rod Meyer had worked in Minneapolis 25 years with the market-leading industrial x-ray imaging equipment company, rising to vice president of sales and leading a tenfold increase in capital sales, […]

Lessons Learned In Practice Rotation Help Pooler Veterinarian Open Own Practice

Posted by Ashley Panter
On April 29, 2016

Veterinarian Mike Ammermon was a senior in the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine when UGA Small Business Development Center consultant Jeff Sanford started teaching fourth-year vet students a […]

Sound Business Practices Help Athens Medical Practice Expand Into Underserved Areas

Posted by Ashley Panter
On April 29, 2016

Dr. Ram K. and Aru Reddy are in the business of “helping people feel better when they need it the most.” Partners in an enterprise that adds urgently needed medical care to underserved communities in northeast Georgia, this husband and wife team is also steadily adding to the employment rolls of the small cities and towns they serve.

SBDC Clients Earns 2016 Small Business Person of the Year

Posted by Ashley Panter
On April 26, 2016

Catherine Downey didn’t find an easy way to success. She did find what works: hard work and dedication to a vision. Catherine Downey started her first business with “a pen and a legal pad” so she could work at home […]

Dead-On Financial Projections Lead to Success for Atlanta Movie Tours Start-Up

Posted by Ashley Panter
On April 19, 2016

Moving a small business from start-up to growth mode requires a leap of faith, hard work and difficult, strategic decision-making. Carrie Sagel Burns has the” leap of faith” part down, regularly suspending disbelief in thousands of visitors who ride around Atlanta in buses guided by former zombie extras, an actress portraying author Margaret Mitchell or character actors from The Hunger Games.

Comprehensive Business Coach Leads Online Machinery Sales Start-Up to Growth

Posted by Ashley Panter
On March 31, 2016

“You’d be crazy not to take advantage of something like the SBDC. What an awesome thing,” he says. “Paying for a business consultant is very expensive. John is extremely knowledgeable. I think of him as a partner. I don’t think I’d be where I’m at now if it wasn’t for him.”

Passion for Pets Pays Off

Posted by Ashley Panter
On March 23, 2016

Crook acquired the loan and opened her business. About five years later, she approached McDonell for help obtaining a $1 million SBA 504 loan, which she used to purchase land and build the first Pawtropolis. Five years after that, with 25 employees and trainers, an award-winning business and a facility filled to capacity, Crook again turned to the SBDC. After attending the GrowSmart™ program, she asked McDonell to help her create projections for a $2.2 million loan she received and will use to build a second, larger facility on land she had purchased.

McDonough Business Consultant Benefits from Expert Georgia SBDC Consulting

Posted by Ashley Panter
On January 29, 2016

Former Army executive Annette O’Banion spent several years consulting with top brass in the Pentagon on issues such as recruiting and retaining talent for the Army Reserve. Her expertise in […]

Market Research Eases Expansion for Midtown Atlanta Industrial Firm

Posted by Ashley Panter
On January 26, 2016

Dhiren Patel is a seasoned business owner. An electrical engineer who started his career in the innovative AT&T Bell Labs, his first solo venture was AmTech Electronics India Limited, which […]

Economic Impact of The UGA SBDC

Posted by Ashley Panter
On December 21, 2015

The annual economic impact study of the University of Georgia SBDC, published in August of 2015, provides solid evidence that entrepreneurs utilizing SBDC assistance experience employment growth significantly greater than […]

Sound Business Practices Move Georgia Peach Retailer from Stands to Stores

Posted by Ashley Panter
On December 21, 2015

Travelers driving north and south on Interstate 95 will pass 24 billboards inviting them to stop and purchase mouth-watering products like “Fresh Georgia Peaches — Exit 58” and “Georgia Peach […]

Business Planning Leads to Smooth Operations for Augusta Coffee Roaster

Posted by Ashley Panter
On December 11, 2015

Finding the Right Ingredients

Posted by Ashley Panter
On November 5, 2015

Chef Doug Turbush has garnered more than 15 years of experience and rave reviews in the restaurant industry. But the kitchen wasn’t his end goal when he began earning a […]

Versatile Mold and Design

Posted by Ashley Panter
On October 15, 2015

Strategic Planning Expands Markets for Rutledge Mold and Tooling Manufacturer Inventiveness and responsiveness have long been trademarks of the Heusser family business, Versatile Mold and Design. But like many small […]

Dreaming Cow

Posted by Ashley Panter
On October 5, 2015

Expansion Financing Essential for Rapidly Growing Thomasville Producer Kyle and Janelle Wehner started Dreaming Cow in 2009 to test whether their yogurt concept could be built into a national brand. […]

The Grass is Always Greener

Posted by Ashley Panter
On September 2, 2015

Market and Banking Advice Aid Dairy Expansion into Agri-Tourism Destination

Posted by Marketing Intern
On May 22, 2015

It is rare to see a young family in Georgia make a business out of a small dairy farm. The around-the-clock work and competition from big corporate dairies has stopped […]

Strategic Planning Leads to Improved Systems that Help Americus Business Expand in the Region

Posted by Marketing Intern
On May 22, 2015

Sisters Eshonda Blue and Jessica Wright of Americus, both registered nurses, were raised in an entrepreneurial family. So when their work in nursing homes a decade ago revealed a need […]

Janie Davis, Children Unique Christian Daycare Center, Inc.

Posted by Marketing Intern
On January 14, 2015

Growing Pains Send Augusta Day Care Operator to the SBDC Shortly after opening a licensed childcare service in her home, Janie Davis needed to expand. “We started in 1996 with six children […]

Mary Hester, LAN Systems

Posted by Marketing Intern
On January 14, 2015

Strategic Planning Leads Norcross Technology Firm to Greater Profits After leading an IT department that had won several awards for another technical firm, Mary Hester acquired LAN Systems in January 2008 “We did the […]

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