Small Business Development Center Network
OVERVIEW The Utah Small Business Development Center (SBDC) strives to strengthen Utah’s economic fabric and quality of life by facilitating the success and prosperity of small business endeavors. The Utah SBDC network consists of business consultants, trainers, educators and support staff operating statewide from Utah’s state colleges and universities. The Utah host for the SBDC program is Salt Lake Community College, with regional host institutions at Utah State University – College of Eastern Utah (Price and Blanding), Davis ATC, Dixie State College, Snow College (Ephraim and Richfield), Southern Utah University, Utah State University (Logan and Vernal), Utah Valley University, and Weber State University. Other key stakeholders include the US Small Business Administration and the State of Utah Governors Office of Economic Development. Key goals include providing significant, in-depth, assistance to entrepreneur clients, (including pre-startup), that help the client increase sales, profits, jobs, and long-term sustainable business practices. This is accomplished through in-depth training, one-to-one no-cost counseling, and following up with clients to find the resources that they need. Two successes from the past year show the impact that the SBDC can have in the state’s economy. LiquaDry, Inc. In the Utah desert, Elend LeBaron has been building a nutritional empire. Since its start in 1999, LiquaDry has grown from a start-up business to a company making $4.4 million in 2010 and employing 39 people. LeBaron developed the process that made LiquaDry a success. He created a way to produce food and nutritional supplements using ambient temperature spray drying. LiquaDry takes foods from harvest to powder without a significant reduction in nutritional value. That high quality process, called BioActive Dehydration™, sets LeBaron apart from his competitors.
Governor’s Office of Economic Development • 2012 Annual Report • www.business.utah.gov
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