The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service is funded through the Small Business Administration, Ohio Department of Development, and Ohio University (OU). This funding enables the SBDC to provide no-cost, confidential business assistance by Certified Business Advisors to for-profit businesses in our area. In addition to hosting the SBDC, the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service provides businesses access to TechGrowth Ohio, an assistance program for technology-based companies, and Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC), a program to assist businesses in securing government contracts.
Located in rural Appalachia, the Ohio University SBDC serves a 13 county region, including Athens, Meigs, Hocking, Perry, Fairfield, Licking, Washington, Morgan, Noble, Monroe, Muskingum, Guernsey, and Belmont counties. We understand that businesses within this thirteen county footprint face unique challenges. Not only are we situated within rural Appalachia, where infrastructure may be limited, but several of our counties are federally designated as economically depressed or at-risk.
As part of the national SBDC network, the OU SBDC is one of over 1,000 centers nationwide and one of 28 centers within the State of Ohio. Our Certified Business Advisors provide no-cost, one-on-one advising, and business training in a variety of topics. Our Export Assistance Program provides valuable assistance and resources to companies interested in expanding by exporting into international markets.
The Ohio University SBDC was recognized with the Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award for the SBA’s Region V for 2018. The OU SBDC was chosen as the top center out of approximately 90 centers throughout six states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.