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County renews Small Business Development Center agreement with College of Southern Maryland
Summary
Commissioners approved the FY‑26 memorandum of agreement with the College of Southern Maryland to continue Small Business Development Center services for St. Mary’s County and provide a cash match of $46,500; the SBDC reported client growth, counseling hours and new initiatives including AI workshops and financial literacy partnerships.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County approved a fiscal‑year 2026 memorandum of agreement with the College of Southern Maryland to continue local delivery of Small Business Development Center (SBDC) services and provide a cash match of $46,500.
James Vasquez, the newly named Southern Maryland regional director for the SBDC, summarized recent activity and metrics: through mid‑June the SBDC had served 56 county clients, delivered 264 counseling hours, reported five business starts (45 percent of the annual SBA goal of 11) and high client satisfaction. Vasquez described planned programming that includes AI training workshops in partnership with Google’s Grow with Google initiative, targeted financial‑literacy and credit‑repair efforts with a state partner (TEGCO), and support for entrepreneurs and potentially displaced federal or Department of Defense workers. He also noted closer collaboration with the county Department of Economic Development and on‑campus SBDC presence at the College of Southern Maryland.
Commissioners approved the memorandum of agreement and authorized the commissioner president to execute related documents.
Why it matters: The SBDC provides no‑cost counseling, technical assistance and training that supports local entrepreneurship, access to capital and workforce transitions. The FY‑26 agreement maintains county support and funds the county’s required cash match to continue local SBDC services.
