Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Small Business Support topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wyoming SBDC regional director briefs Rawlins council on free services and local reach
Summary
Jeff Engel, regional director for the Wyoming Small Business Development Center, told council the center provides free confidential business consulting statewide, helped support roughly $69 million in government contracts last year and has about 100 active clients in Rollins.
The Small Business Development Center’s regional director briefed Rawlins city leaders on April 21 about services available to local entrepreneurs and an active client base in the area.
Jeff Engel, who said he covers Albany and Carbon counties and is based primarily out of Laramie, described the SBDC’s mission as free, confidential consulting and advisory services for anyone with business questions. He told council the network helped secure roughly $69 million in government contracts for Wyoming businesses in the past year and supported about $2.5 million in activity to bring scientific innovations to market. Engel said the network serves about 1,000 clients annually statewide and provides roughly 500–600 client-facing consulting hours per month across the network; he added that roughly 100 active Rollins addresses appear in the SBDC client records after removing duplications.
When asked whether the SBDC charges clients, Engel said, "No, we do not... we do it for free," and explained the center’s funding mix includes administrative hosting by the University of Wyoming, pass-through funds via the Wyoming Business Council and support from the Small Business Administration. Engel encouraged council and staff to distribute flyers and business cards and to direct local entrepreneurs to the center for help with procurement registrations, market research and grant or lending preparation.
Council members thanked the presenters and noted local partnerships, including the DDA and local economic development groups, that work with the SBDC to connect entrepreneurs to state and federal resources.
The presentation was informational; council did not take action but accepted the report and expressed appreciation.
