The U.S. Small Business Administration recognized the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville’s Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center with its 2022 SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award.
SBA Arkansas District Director Edward Haddock presented the award May 3 in Little Rock, in conjunction with National Small Business Week.
Criteria for the honor included achieving performance milestones; helping new and established small businesses increase revenues and create and retain jobs through innovative programs and events; and supporting local and regional small business and economic development by advancing opportunities for entrepreneurial development and educating the community about SBA programs.
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, has hosted an Arkansas SBTDC regional office since 1980. The office is part of the university’s Economic Development Division. From its main location in downtown Fayetteville and satellite location in Bentonville, the center serves entrepreneurs and businesses in six counties in Northwest Arkansas: Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton, and Washington.
Mary Beth Brooks leads the UA Fayetteville ASBTDC. Spurred by the pandemic and supported by CARES and private funding, she has built a skilled and nimble team of full-time and part-time consultants, contract experts, and interns.
Since 2018, the center has recorded 135 business starts, 1,452 jobs created or retained, and capital infusion of $82.2 million. In 2021 alone, the office assisted more than 1,300 clients.
The center was honored for its comprehensive and high-quality services that addressed a wide range of client needs in 2021, from pre-venture entrepreneurs starting businesses to existing businesses confronting a pandemic to science-and-tech companies exploring commercialization.
“I am tremendously proud of the innovation and creativity this office demonstrates through consulting, outreach, and events. Mary Beth and her team are vital partners in economic development and champions for small businesses across all industries,” said ASBTDC State Director Laura Fine.
In response to frequent requests from small businesses for help and guidance in marketing, the center formed a marketing team that provides advice and hands-on training in social media strategy, website services such as Shopify and SEO, professional photography for the web and social media platforms, and graphic design. These services assist startups as well as those wanting greater visibility and increased sales.
The UAF ASBTDC became experts on the pandemic relief funding programs offered by SBA and helped many clients secure these coveted dollars. This combined effort resulted in the center’s clientele receiving funding from every federal program offered (PPP 1 and 2, EIDL Targeted Advance, EIDL COVID Loan, RRF, SVOG).
The center helped a local restaurant, in business since 1977, survive the pandemic with funding and fresh ideas. Located in a basement by the historic Fayetteville Square, Hugo’s has long been “cool,” but operating in a basement was challenging amid COVID.
“The ASBTDC was vital in keeping Hugo’s in business throughout the pandemic. I truly do not know what I would have done without their help,” said owner Jason Piazza.
With ASBTDC assistance, Hugo’s obtained $438,898 from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, plus five other sources of COVID relief funding.
Piazza attended the center’s live webinars and its weekly NWA Restaurant Forum, created at the onset of COVID to provide restaurateurs a space to share their concerns, struggles, and solutions and to hear from experts about issues facing the industry. “Our weekly Zoom meetings allowed us to share ideas and solutions and create a sense of community. We were all in it together,” he said.
ASBTDC advised Piazza on an employee retention and hiring strategy and worked with him to develop a more consistent social media presence.
“The most important thing the ASBTDC provided was the reassurance that there was a group of local professionals who truly cared about Hugo’s and wanted to see us through this extremely challenging time,” he said. “They had our backs, and it meant everything. We are forever grateful.”