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SBDC reports jobs, loans and $3.7M in local economic impact; honors line‑cleaning startup
Summary
The Tooele Region Small Business Development Center told the city it served 165 clients in 2025, provided 361 counseling hours, and reported about $3.7 million in financial impact tied to loans, grants and increased sales. The center named Christian's Draught Lines and Maintenance as Small Business of the Year and played a video featuring owner
The Tooele Region Small Business Development Center reported to the Tooele City Council on Nov. 5 that it served 165 clients in 2025, provided 361 hours of counseling, helped create 45 jobs and documented roughly $3.7 million in financial impact tied to loans, grants and increased sales.
Jess Clifford, SBDC director for the Tooele region, told the council the counseling hours and client time investment have increased about 15–20 percent over the previous year; the office also uses an online "entrepreneurial academy" and state partnerships for market research and specialized services. "This year, we have assisted a 165 clients," Clifford said during the presentation, and noted about 70 percent of those served live in Tooele City proper. Clifford described the SBDC’s role in helping businesses with business plans, loan packaging and capital access.
The SBDC presented Christian's Draught Lines and Maintenance as its small business of the year. Owner Christian Fell described launching a draft‑line cleaning service after recovery and workforce programs, saying the SBDC "gave me the road map to getting my business license" and that the center helped with micro‑fund grants and loans that enabled him to begin work. Fell explained draft‑line cleaning helps reduce waste and improve beer yield and flavor, which he described as a direct business benefit for clients in the hospitality sector.
Council members thanked the SBDC for its partnership with city economic development and asked about programs such as the Custom Fit training that supports employers. Clifford said the center’s reported financial impact is compiled from business surveys and noted one large capital project in 2024 skewed prior year comparisons due to confidentiality around an SBA client. No formal council action was requested on the SBDC report; the presentation was informational.
Why it matters: the SBDC’s metrics and local success stories inform the city’s economic‑development planning, workforce training and business‑support priorities. The center’s use of online training and statewide partnerships aims to stretch limited local counseling resources while maintaining increasing client demand.
