By Kaylee Lindenmuth
News Editor

On July 1, KU’s Small Business Development Center became the lead office for the statewide Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center. For 37 years prior, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business had been the lead office.

On Friday, Sept. 28, KU held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the lead office, now housed in Old Main.

“We’re very proud that Kutztown University has been selected as the lead office of the Pennsylvania SBDC system,” said KU President Dr. Kenneth Hawkinson. “Thus far, we’ve received over $8.6 million in grants from the federal and state government to support this initiative. The mission of the Small Business Development Center is to provide entrepreneurs and small business owners access to no-cost, confidential consulting services and learning opportunities, leading to the knowledge needed for small business leaders to make smart decisions and to prosper.”

“Small businesses are the engine of our economy, both locally and nationally,” said Ernie Post, director of the SBDC. “It is the small businesses that move our commerce forward into an era of innovation and prosperity.”

“One of the key things, for me, as the dean of the college is the students and the student experience that the SBDC provides,” said Dr. Anne Carroll, dean of the College of Business. “I’ve had the opportunity to see young men and women really grow as professionals in the SBDC. It’s transformative, and those kinds of experiences are the ones we want our students to have at KU.”

The PA SBDC was founded in 1980 and has since grown to operate 18 university-based centers across the Commonwealth, all of which are now directed by KU’s center.