Blue Mountain Community College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is the recipient of the 2018 Oregon SBDC Award for Excellence & Innovation from the United States Small Business Administration.
In addition, BMCC’s SBDC was also honored with the Small Business Development Center Excellence Award for the Pacific Northwest Region. SBDC Director Carol Frink said she’s honored the work her team has done over the past several years has paid off with this prestigious recognition.
“When you do the work, the results follow,” Frink said. “Two years ago we were the lowest contributing Center in the state, and today we have a very different story that I’m extremely proud to tell. It’s an honor to be recognized by your peers for a job well done in the state of Oregon. Being honored as a Center of Excellence in the Pacific Northwest Region of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska, I feel appreciation and thankfulness to my team for a job very well done.”
In 2017, the Blue Mountain SBDC worked with 104 long-term clients (long-term equals more than five hours of assistance), helped 16 new businesses start, brought an additional $1,048,450 in capital into the local economy and helped the area’s small businesses create 31 jobs while maintaining a client satisfaction rate of 99 percent. These metrics exceeded all the Center’s goals, many by more than twice what was expected of the Center.
BMCC’s SBDC serves an area of more than 18,000 square miles and has a limited staff of advisers. Given the rural geography and limited staff, many advisers help clients with a wide range of different issues. Blue Mountain’s advisers come from different business backgrounds and score among the highest in Oregon for their understanding of many complex business topics.
“I am immensely proud of the work of our Blue Mountain SBDC team and the leadership of the Blue Mountain SBDC Director Carol Frink,” said Oregon Small Business Development Center State Director Mark Gregory. “The Blue Mountain SBDC continues to demonstrate that rural communities can achieve great results by supporting small businesses with training and advice.”
The Oregon SBDC Award for Excellence & Innovation is awarded annually by the SBA’s Portland District Office. The Small Business Excellence Award for the Pacific Northwest Region is awarded annually to an SBDC in Oregon, Washington, Idaho or Alaska.
