Wendy Orvis of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center was recognized Aug. 18 as a 2021 State Star by America’s SBDC.
The national network of Small Business Development Centers honored 2021 and 2020 State Star winners from around the country during a virtual awards ceremony. The State Star award, the highest accolade for SBDC employees, recognizes exemplary performers.
Nicolas Mayerhoeffer, 2020 State Star, was also honored.
One person from every state and U.S. territory is selected for the award each year. Winners are traditionally feted at the national America’s SBDC conference every fall. Due to COVID-19, the conference went virtual for 2020 and 2021, leading to the separate livestreamed event to celebrate State Stars for both years.
Orvis is the startup specialist at the ASBTDC Lead Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With the center since 2010, she specializes in assisting first-time business owners, helping them develop business plans and complete the steps to start their businesses. Since last year, she has ably managed the surge in requests for ASBTDC services created by the pandemic.
Mayerhoeffer is a business consultant at the UA Little Rock center. He joined ASBTDC in 2017 and has assisted clients in starting more than 40 businesses and accessing over $26.2 million in capital. The Marketing Map tool he created assists businesses in developing marketing strategies that connect them with their customers.
America’s SBDC is the association that represents the nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers, the most comprehensive small business assistance network in the United States and its territories.
Hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies, and private partners, nearly 1,000 local centers provide management and technical assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their own businesses. SBDCs are funded in part by Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration.