New York State SBDC Supports Veteran Small Business Owners with $150,000 Federal Grant

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 28, 2010) -- The New York State Small Business Development Center (SBDC), administered by the University at Albany, received a $150,000 U.S. Small Business Administration grant to provide entrepreneurial assistance to veterans. The SBDC, one of 10 center across the country to receive the competitive award, will use the funds toward its Veteran�s Business Outreach Program (VBOP), which assists veterans and promotes business ownership and services to small businesses affected by the deployment of key personnel overseas.

The SBDC will also promote increased coordination of services to veterans and use multimedia tools to connect veterans to distance learning opportunities and customized online business counseling. Services provided by the VBOC include outreach, assessment, long and short-term business training, counseling, directed referring, electronic or online assistance and other technical assistance services to veterans, service disabled veterans, and U.S. Military Reserve Component business owners and entrepreneurs.

�Our service men and women have made invaluable contributions and sacrifices for our country and supporting them as they pursue their life�s dreams to start or grow their own business is one of our highest priorities,� SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. �Through these centers, we stand ready with a myriad of support, from entrepreneurial education and training to linking them with opportunities to compete for federal contracts and access much-needed capital � critical tools that will help them take their business to the next level, drive economic growth and create jobs.�

�The Veteran�s Business Outreach Program is an integral part of the NYS SBDC,� said James King, State Director. �This grant ensures that we will continue to provide targeted counseling and training for veterans interested in starting a business, as well as those who own existing businesses.�

The NYS SBDC created a special �Veterans� Business Services� Web page that links available services to veterans in the state, as well as federal, state and local resources. Online training and business development are also available from the site.

About the NYS SBDC
The SBDC, administered by the University at Albany, has 24 regional service centers located throughout the New York State on SUNY, City University of New York (CUNY) and private university campuses. Since inception in 1984, the SBDC has provided small business advisement services to more than 312,500 New Yorkers. The SBDC also provides training and business research to existing business owners and entrepreneurs. SBDC clients have invested more than $4 billion in NY, impacting more than 141,600 jobs.  

The SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New York, local communities and host campuses. As a result of this leveraged support, the SBDC staff provides confidential one-on-one business advisement services at no direct cost to the citizens and entrepreneurs of New York.

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