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Longwood SBDC’s eastern regional director seeks continued county support for small-business services
Summary
Vandy Jones, director of Longwood Small Business Development Center’s Eastern Region, briefed supervisors on confidential advising, training and research services, cited a $50,000 local loan success story and requested FY27 funding support.
Vandy Jones, director of the Longwood Small Business Development Center’s Eastern Region, presented an overview of SBDC services and asked the board to continue supporting the center’s FY27 funding request. Jones described one-on-one confidential advising, training programs, research support for grant and loan applications, and specialty programs such as international trade assistance.
Jones highlighted a local success story: with permission from the client, SBDC advisers helped Johnson Funeral Services secure a $50,000 no-interest loan through a Tri-Cities capital-access program and supported improvements through online training. He told the board the SBDC returns strong local value—"every $1 that's invested in the SBDC returns $5 in taxes" based on client-reported outcomes—and asked supervisors to sustain county support into the next fiscal year.
Board members accepted the overview and had no follow-up questions during the meeting; Jones said he would submit the formal funding request through the usual budget channels.
