Of those 364 clients, 49 were new businesses, dwarfing the 37 new businesses that the SBDC helped to establish in 2018, the 30 new businesses from 2017 and the 24 in 2016. As the SBDC continues to recycle money back into the community, strengthening the northwest Ohio economy, more and more entrepreneurs are becoming emboldened and feel empowered to start their own businesses.
Because of the efforts by the SBDC to not just establish new businesses but to grow existing ones, 249 new jobs were created in part by the SBDC during the 2019 fiscal year. The SBDC is proud to report that this is a nearly 60 percent increase in jobs created in part by the organization in 2018, and the SBDC seeks to help bring even more jobs to the region during the 2020 fiscal year.
Finally, the SBDC assisted in retaining 660 jobs among its 364 clients this fiscal year; yet again an increase when compared to the 350 jobs retained in 2018.
As we at the SBDC look to the future, we will continue to help entrepreneurs build, establish and grow their businesses throughout the northwest Ohio region. For more information on the SBDC, contact Bill Wersell, Vice President of Business Development Services, at (419) 243-8191 ext. 224 or email [email protected].