Wedged between the Health and Wellness Center and Wynne Drive on Longwood's campus is a small brick building. This building is known as the Longwood Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a service that has existed for over 20 years, but is often neglected by students.
The SBDC provides free consulting to thousands of new and existing businesses that are looking to improve and grow. On their website, their mission statement reads, "The SBDC at Longwood University provides education, consulting, and economic research for potential and existing businesses throughout South-Central Virginia." With "250 years of combined experience in business ownership, management, and consulting," and enough funding to afford to offer free consultations and training, why is it that most students don't even know what goes on there?
Sheri McGuire, the executive director of Longwood's SBDC network, said the center provides resources for students: "Internships are available each semester. Any student interested in small business can apply just like a job interview. Just send a letter of interest and we'll interview you." McGuire said an intern would spend time working with the center in research for their clients and sometimes with the clients themselves, aiding them in financial analysis, inventory management, or whatever the client needs.
McGuire said Longwood does a good job at making [the SBDC] feel like a part of the academic community, but she felt as if there were some places other than the business department where the SBDC could "plug in and share more about their resources."
According to McGuire, the SBDC is a partnership between Longwood and the Small Business Administration (SBA), along with local governments. The SBA provides a third, Longwood provides a third, and the community pitches in. This way they have a stake in the success of the center's clients. McGuire added, "It's an economic development outreach of Longwood and we have been pretty strong for about twenty years."
They provide services ranging from business planning to intellectual property. The SBDC actually has other locations throughout the state, including Petersburg, Danville, South Boston, and Martinsville.
The Longwood SBDC has not only assisted businesses statewide, but also has some success stories here in Farmville. McGuire said they helped Sunchase Cinema 8 with their initial business plan. They have also helped Main Street Lanes, a local bowling alley that is expanding again, along with The Farmer's Daughter's, located in Rice, Va., and The Sleeping Bee in downtown Farmville. McGuire said of the Sleeping Bee, "They moved from a more secure [permanent] location to Main Street so they could catch more traffic."
Jimmy Johnson, owner of the Sleeping Bee, explained how his business utilized the SBDC's services, "In order to move up here [Main Street] we had to get the financing in order to build the building and all of that. So they helped us with our business plan and we put that together in order to go to the bank to get the financing." Johnson said that he "certainly" recommends the SBDC to other businesses seeking help in the surrounding areas.
Sophomore business major Shawn Falk said of the SBDC: "I know that they help give aid and advice to small businesses about how to better their business." He also added that he doesn't hear about many students using it, that that he "knows a few people who do know about it and do use it for internships ... It's pretty much what us business majors will be doing."
Charlotte Solomon is a senior who interns at the SBDC. "What happens is, small businesses can come in and get help for free on budgets, business plans, on how to save a business ... Basically anything small business related as long as their not part of a corporation they can come in and get free help on anything they need." Solomon is a marketing intern and said she works on "anything that comes along." Agreeing with Falk, Solomon said they don't see many students in the development center other than the few who are employed or interning there.
The SBDC is looking for any help, from interns to faculty who would be willing to take part in business research projects. They're also looking for volunteers on campus. One of McGuire's goals is for the merging of different departments on campus to create a more diverse group of business connoisseurs. "I'd love to see a cross-community involvement with the arts and sciences and the business school. That would be a good thing I think to have happen is to have those two communities work together on business ideas."
McGuire also said if there are students who live near the other SBDC locations that are looking for summer internships, these other branches could use interns just as much as the Farmville location can.
With over 2,000 cumulative hours spent consulting clients and having created nearly 420 jobs, the Longwood Small Business Development Center is an established member of Farmville's commercial community and doesn't plan on leaving any time soon.
"Just know we're here," is the message McGuire sends to Longwood students. "There are lots of opportunities to work together and support the business community.
