The Larimer Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provided more than 1,300 hours of free confidential consulting for clients in the first half of 2014, a 62 percent increase over first half 2013 and a reflection of the dynamic small-business environment locally.
“We’ve done a lot of work over the past year to reach out to the business community to let them know we can be a productive resource,” said Mike O’Connell, Larimer SBDC director. “Our consultants have done a great job of delivering value to the 284 clients we’ve served so far this year.”
Terri Donovan-Keirns, Larimer SBDC program coordinator, also credits an influx of consultants with specific skill sets to help clients.
“We’ve added two restaurant/food consultants, a supply chain expert, and more marketing specialists,” Donovan-Keirns said. “We also have beverage/distillery and construction experts going through our consulting accreditation process.”
The Larimer SBDC provides free confidential consulting and a wide range of low-cost business workshops for existing businesses and individuals interested in starting a business. See www.larimersbdc.org for complete details. The Larimer SBDC is hosted locally by Front Range Community College and sponsored by the Small Business Administration, the City of Fort Collins Economic Health Office, First National Bank, and others.
The Larimer SBDC recently located into The Innosphere business incubator at 320 E. Vine St., Fort Collins. Satellite offices are in Berthoud and Estes Park.
About Front Range Community College
FRCC offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, and Brighton, and online.
FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System, the state’s largest system of higher education. CCCS serves more than 162,000 students annually. The system oversees career and academic programs in the 13 state community colleges and career and technical programs in more than 160 school districts and six other post-secondary institutions.
