Recently, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce hired four interns to assist with day-to-day tasks within the center. The internship will enable them to gain valuable, real-world experience with local small businesses.
“Interns will learn real-life situations that business owners deal with in finance, accounting and marketing,” says Bill Wersell, vice president of business development services at the SBDC.
Previously, the SBDC chiefly assisted entrepreneurs as they opened their small businesses and counseled local small businesses through both good times and tough times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, operations have changed to address new and constantly changing needs.
The SBDC has assisted small businesses as they have applied for funds and loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan process and more. The four interns will gain insight into these processes and, alongside the expert counselors at the SBDC, guide local small businesses.
“They will follow up with clients who have received SBA COVID-19 stimulus program funding, to see if they need help with documentation for loan forgiveness and assisting clients with financial and marketing services for rebuilding their damaged businesses,” says Wersell.
The four interns were selected from a wide pool of applicants.
“In their interviews and resumes, all four showed initiative, leadership and maturity,” Wersell says. “Since much of their work will be done remotely, those attributes are especially important to the program.”
About the Interns
Previously, the SBDC chiefly assisted entrepreneurs as they opened their small businesses and counseled local small businesses through both good times and tough times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, operations have changed to address new and constantly changing needs.
The SBDC has assisted small businesses as they have applied for funds and loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan process and more. The four interns will gain insight into these processes and, alongside the expert counselors at the SBDC, guide local small businesses.
“They will follow up with clients who have received SBA COVID-19 stimulus program funding, to see if they need help with documentation for loan forgiveness and assisting clients with financial and marketing services for rebuilding their damaged businesses,” says Wersell.
The four interns were selected from a wide pool of applicants.
“In their interviews and resumes, all four showed initiative, leadership and maturity,” Wersell says. “Since much of their work will be done remotely, those attributes are especially important to the program.”
About the Interns
 | Garrett Dietrich Where are you from? I’m from Olmstead Township, a small suburb of Cleveland. What school are you attending, and what are you studying there? I’m attending Ohio Northern University with a double major in finance and management with a minor in business analytics. What about this internship piqued your interest? What interested me the most was the unique opportunity to work with many different types of businesses. What do you hope to learn during this internship? Something I’m hoping to pick up along the way during this internship is some great experience and possibly mentors that would be able to help me in my future career. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. When I was in eighth grade, I learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube in under one minute. |
 | Emir Moore Where are you from? Dayton, Ohio. What school are you attending, and what are you studying there? The University of Toledo with a master’s of business administration and a concentration in marketing. What about this internship piqued your interest? The internship piqued my interest because I will be able to virtually work on the Business Reboot Initiative to help businesses reopen and recover. What do you hope to learn during this internship? During this internship, I hope to learn how to effectively assist SBDC clients through the COVID-19 pandemic, develop marketing strategies and implement tools to make their businesses successful. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I was an Emerging Leaders Intern for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Congresswoman Lauren Underwood’s office (IL-14). |
 | Connor Phillips Where are you from? I am from Mentor, Ohio. What school are you attending, and what are you studying there? I attend school at Bowling Green State University. I previously took classes at Lakeland Community College while in high school through the College Credit Plus program. This May I completed my undergraduate degree in business administration. I am working to get a master’s degree in financial economics, expected May 2021. What about this internship piqued your interest? This internship interested me by providing the opportunity to apply my education to solve real world business problems, and the opportunity to really see the economic impact of the pandemic on businesses and help them recover. What do you hope to learn during this internship? I hope to gain knowledge and skills that will help me start a successful business someday. I also hope to learn more about myself and the work I want to do in the future. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I drink a lot of coffee and tea. I love to sit outside with a coffee and read. |
 | Brooke Schlatter Where are you from? Perrysburg, Ohio. What school are you attending, and what are you studying there? Bowling Green State University, studying marketing. What about this internship piqued your interest? This internship piqued my interest because of the opportunity it presents to help assist small businesses thrive through the impact of COVID-19. What do you hope to learn during this internship? During this internship, I hope to learn how small businesses function on a daily basis and how I can help them to develop an even more efficient, reputable and profitable operation. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I am a member of the BGSU Dance Team! |
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