USU SBDC regional director says local entrepreneurs are getting hands‑on help, loans and training

Jason Thompson, the U.S. Small Business Development Center (SBDC) associate regional director based at Utah State University, briefed the Grand County Commission on June 17 on the office’s local work and client pipeline. Thompson said the county‑funded position, which spends most of its time on Grand County clients, provides free, hands‑on business planning, financial modeling, market research and loan packaging for people starting or trying to stabilize small businesses.

Thompson told the commission his office has helped roughly 30 clients ‘‘with different business needs’’ over the past six months, logging several hundred staff hours and sometimes writing financial projections and three‑year cashflow models for clients who do not speak English or lack experience preparing loan documents. ‘‘Now over the past 6 months, I have assisted 30 different clients with different business needs,’’ he said.

He described the variety of services SBDC offers statewide and locally: business planning, accounting and budgeting, government contracting, e‑commerce, market research, and coaching. He emphasized bilingual outreach through the Multicultural Center and said staff routinely works with local lenders — naming Desert Rivers Credit Union — to place clients who have strengthened their plans and financials.

Commissioners asked whether work coming through the office is diversifying the local economy beyond tourism; Thompson said it is, citing a local appliance retailer and another small manufacturer in start‑up phases that expect to hire multiple employees. He noted not all clients seek startup capital — many want help improving a small business — and said SBDC runs workshops, an entrepreneur academy and targeted grants such as the Wildcat Fund ($3,000) and CustomFit employee training grants.

Why it matters: Commissioners funded the local SBDC position to support entrepreneurship and economic diversification; Thompson’s update showed the post is providing direct technical assistance, loan packaging and small grants navigation to local entrepreneurs. The briefing also identified ongoing constraints — time‑intensive one‑on‑one assistance for clients who lack business literacy — that affect how quickly clients can move to hire employees or scale.

What’s next: Thompson offered to refer qualified businesses to the county revolving loan fund and to return with further updates on job counts from specific clients as loans close.