BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — During the pandemic, a lot of people started thinking of their "second act" or next career move. That inspired some to start their own businesses.
And if you've still got that itch, this could be just the week to explore it as we near "Small Business Development Centers Day."
Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey highlighted this national event on Tuesday.
Ryan visited the Northeast Training Institute (NTI) in the Bloomsburg area, which teaches and certifies people how to become home inspectors.
NTI is one of several businesses here at home that turned to our area's Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) to help turn a dream into a reality.
Although SBDC Day is officially a national event that takes place Wednesday, March 16, 2022, Ryan gave viewers a heads up on the campaign since many free events are on tap.
Background:
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are located on college campuses. They help America's dreamers, innovators, and doers turn their ideas into a real business.
Nearly 1,000 SBDC centers exist in the country. These nonprofit groups have helped hundreds of thousands of clients.
All SBDC centers offer "no-cost confidential one-on-one, small business consulting."
The goal of tomorrow's SBDC Day is to celebrate our area's centers through social media campaigns, public relations initiatives, and other online events.
It'll be the sixth annual SBDC Day on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. On social media, look for the hashtag #SBDCDay.
Ryan also chatted with members of our region's Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center (PASBDC).
Connect with the national association at America's SBDC.
A closer look provided by PA's SBDC:
Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center (PASBDC) has 16 locations in the state.
Small businesses in all 67 counties of Pennsylvania are served by a specific center in the Pennsylvania SBDC network determined by the county in which their business is located.
The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) are the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides experienced, no-cost confidential one-on-one, small business consulting, training, and information resources to empower new and existing businesses.
The SBDC program is a public/private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and 16 universities and colleges across the Commonwealth.
Events on tap for Wednesday, March 16:
A live-streamed statewide event is on tap on Wednesday, March 16, with keynote speaker Russ Starke. He's the CEO of Think Company, PASBDC Advisory Board member, and a graduate of Kutztown University.
Join via Livestream from 10:45 a.m. to noon.
More events:
Visit Pennsylvania SBDC for the full list of events and all training webinars.
Another event being offered on Tuesday, March 15, is the "Don’t Let Fear Steal Your Dream Of Business Ownership-Franchising" through Shippensburg University SBDC. Register online at www.ship.edu/sbdc.
Find an SBDC in our area:
Bucknell University SBDC
Counties: Perry, Juniata, Snyder, Northumberland, Union, and Montour
The University of Scranton SBDC
Counties: Bradford, Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne & Wyoming
Wilkes University SBDC
Counties: Luzerne, Carbon, Columbia, Schuylkill, and Sullivan