Gov. Walz declares Wednesday ‘Small Business Development Center Day’

(ABC 6 News) – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has declared Wednesday, Mar. 15 as Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Day.

The commemoration helps to highlight the importance of small business contributions and success in local communities.

Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), located across the state, provide professional expertise and guidance to business owners – whether the business is just an idea or already established and ready to expand.

Minnesota SBDC consultants help clients overcome the challenges of running a small business by providing confidential, no-cost consulting, and can be found at nine statewide regional SBDC’s across the state.

“Small businesses are at the heart of Minnesota’s economy, and we want to see each of them thrive,” said Governor Walz. “Our budget will build on Minnesota’s strong economy and invest in small businesses across the state so that they have the tools and resources they need to succeed.”

In 2022, DEED says Minnesota SBDC consultants provided 32,000 hours of professional consulting to more than 5,200 businesses. These clients helped the state’s economy by developing 152 new businesses, accessing $100.3 million in new capital investment, creating or saving more than 4,500 jobs and growing revenues by more than $232 million.

“Small businesses are the foundation of Minnesota’s economy,” said Kevin McKinnon, temporary Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development. “Our agency recently chose to place a greater focus on small businesses with a new Office of Small Business Development, which brings together four offices across DEED: the Small Business Development Centers, Office of Small Business Partnerships, Small Business Assistance Office, and Launch Minnesota – all of whom work together to better support Minnesota’s entrepreneurs and small businesses.”

The southeast Minnesota regional office will host an open house from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday at Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc., located at 221 1st Ave. SW, Suite 600.

To find Small Business Development Center’s across Minnesota, CLICK HERE.