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State, federal programs fortify small business development
By Sarah G. McC. Moïse
Staff Writer
The good news for South Carolina small businesses is there are a lot of resources available to them. The bad news is businesses aren’t going to get any more resources because of state and federal budget restraints, says Elliott Cooper, director of the South Carolina district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Where state and federal agencies need to improve, he says, is in pulling resources together and cooperating with each other.
To accomplish this, seven federal and state agencies in June 2004 signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the S.C. Coalition for Small Business and Entrepreneurship: The coalition includes the S.C. Export Consortium, the S.C. Manufacturing Partnership, the S.C. Women’s Business Center, the S.C. Small Business Development Center Program the Service Corps of Retired Executives, the U.S. Small Business Administration District Office and the S.C. Department of Commerce.
“We are out on the streets and in the rural communities, trying to make an impact,” says Cooper. “The members of the coalition have all interacted separately, but together we have a front at the state level and can facilitate the way we help people and add value to our clients.”
The goals of the coalition
The coalition plans to form a strong platform that will meet a variety of small business needs in the state, such as responding to proposed legislation and developing legislative recommendations concerning the development of small business in South Carolina. It will also work to identify and fill gaps in service, particularly in rural areas of the state, and develop ways to obtain financial resources and grants for South Carolina companies. Some of its more concrete goals are hosting the Annual State Salute to Small Business, preparing a yearly report on the “State of Small Business in South Carolina,” and developing a client tracking system for coalition use.
Lotus Chips, a small woman-owned company, is a good example of how companies are benefiting from the coalition. The Greenwood gourmet chips company had a capacity problem and was unable to produce enough chips to meet demand.
“We were helping them with their marketing and increasing sales, but we needed help with their capacity problem,” says Dorette Coetsee, director of operations for the S.C. Export Consortium. “The Manufacturing Extension Partnership employs a large number of engineers, who came into the company and increased the capacity with new machinery and a new floor plan. We also used the (S.C. Small Business Development Center) to help with some of the financing requirements in her business plan.”
The SBDC has also purchased software, which, when up and running in mid-March, will track clients among the different entities and cost the coalition less than $400.
Salute to small business
The coalition is currently planning the second annual “Salute to Small Business” event in Columbia on May 18. Forty-four small businesses will be selected to exhibit their products and explain to state legislators how South Carolina’s economic development organizations have helped them expand their product lines and revenues.
The event is designed to focus legislative attention on the importance of small businesses to South Carolina’s economy. “The expo here in Columbia is primarily for the governor and the state elected officials to see the diversity and sophistication of small businesses and how they impact the state,” says Haidee Stith, who consults for the MEP and is the executive director for the Women’s Business Center.
“Haidee (Stith) and John (Linte) will find the right companies to come to the salute,” says Will Lacey, director of International Trade and Existing Business Services for the SCDOC. “They will be geographically diverse companies that show an entrepreneurial spirit, with a key on women and minority-owned business. We want their success to become a beacon for other entrepreneurs.”
Lacey says that legislation such as the Business Regulatory Act is a good indicator of the governor’s strong support of the small business community. “For us as the convener, it is almost like a focus group, and we see how even divergent businesses have some commonality in their needs.”
Chuck Bundy, the Small Business Ombudsman for the S.C. Department of Commerce, says some of the issues raised in last year’s conference include the cost of insurance and a desire for better understanding of procurement processes for state and federal governments, as well as interest in financial opportunities.
“Some were interested in entrepreneurial training itself, which facilitated spreading the FastTrac program from Charleston to the Midlands,” says Bundy. “Businesses were also interested in supplier development and both workers’ comp and tort reform.”
Other programs
The coalition has received tangible evidence of its success so far. The WBC recently opened a Charleston office in the SBDC facility, which saves federal dollars by not having to rent and equip new office space. The coalition is already hammering out details for another event to be held in September, which will offer a series of regional meetings throughout the state to local economic development groups, councils of governments, technical colleges, city and town councils, etc.
Additionally, the MEP, SBDC and the Export Consortium have been joining forces with the S.C. Research Authority and the S.C. Technology Alliance to help more businesses obtain federal grants through the Small Business Innovation Research Program. And the WBC is leading the coalition in developing affordable tools to help small businesses conduct market analysis and research—an answer many lending institutions have been recommending.
“We’re not creating a new program; this is just a new way for us to work together,” says Stith. “We already have organizations that are state and federally funded, but the coalition speaks as one voice to elected officials and uses our experiences and practices to develop better programs.”
Sarah Moïse is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at smoise@crbj.com.
Contact Information:
The S.C. Coalition for Small Business and Entrepreneurship combines the efforts of the following organizations that help small business start-ups as well as assist in the continued growth of the state’s existing businesses:
South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership
This partnership, headquartered in Columbia, is a not-for-profit organization that helps manufacturers throughout the state solve business and supply chain process problems.
S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership
817 Calhoun St.
Columbia, S.C. 29201
800-MEP-4MFG
www.scmep.org
Small Business Ombudsman
Chuck Bundy, Small Business Ombudsman, existing business services, serves as the single point of contact at the Department of Commerce for entrepreneurs who are looking for assistance or support from business experts.
S.C. Department of Commerce
1201 Main St., Suite 1600
Columbia, S.C. 29201-3200
803-737-0440
www.sccommerce.com
South Carolina Export Consortium
This organization is a private trade development partnership dedicated to developing the trade capacity of small to medium sized enterprises. The consortium offers market-based training, import/export consulting services, technical assistance, market research/information services, as well as international market development.
The S.C. Export Consortium
PO Box 12186
Columbia, S.C. 29211
803-777-8870
www.scexports.net
South Carolina Women’s Business Center
This organization provides business and technical assistance to prospective and existing women-owned businesses throughout the state of South Carolina. It offers free counseling and information about business resources for business start-up, operations and business management.
S.C. Women’s Business Center
817 Calhoun St.
Columbia, S.C. 29201
803-461-8900
www.scwbc.org
Service Corps of Retired Executives
SCORE provides business assistance with free in-depth private counseling and low-cost group workshops.
SCORE-Charleston Chapter
2750 Speissegger Dr., Suite 100
North Charleston, SC 29405
727-4778
www.score.org
Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration aids, counsels, assists and protects the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise, and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.
S.C. District Office
1835 Assembly St., Room 1425
Columbia, S.C. 29201
(803) 765-5377
www.sba.gov/sc
Small Business Development Center
The center offers a wide range of managerial and technical services to assist potential and existing small business owners.
Charleston Area SBDC
5900 Core Dr., Suite 104
North Charleston, S.C. 29406
843-740-6160
scsbdc.moore.sc.edu
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