Small Business Development Center Celebrated in Boston

Boston — The 25th anniversary of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center was celebrated last week during a State House ceremony attended by about 100 people, including state Secretary of Economic Development Ranch Kimball.

The occasion was also marked by a proclamation by Gov. W. Mitt Romney, which credited the center with counseling and training more than 140,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs, the creation of retention of 16,000 jobs and serving as a “critical partner in the start-up and growth of Massachusetts’ small businesses.”

A partnership involving the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the state Department of Business and Technology and a consortium of higher education institutions, MSBDC provides small businesses with high quality technical assistance and educational programs.

Headquartered in the Isenberg School of Management, the center is now the hub of a statewide network with offices in Boston, Fall River, Pittsfield, Salem, Springfield and Worcester. Other participating schools include Boston College, Clark University, Salem State College, UMass Boston and UMass Dartmouth.

Along with Kimball, speakers at the event included MSBDC state director Georgianna Parkin, Charles Summers, New England regional administrator of SBA, Tom O’Brien, dean of the Isenberg School of Management, and Lynn Griesemer, associate vice president for Economic Development.

The occasion also featured four presentations by MSBDC clients: Christopher Broughton of CBDesign in Boston; Kevin Donovan, president of Motor Sports Accessories Corp. in Westport; Steve Zafron, manager of international sales at NutraMax Products in Worcester; and Eleacia and Bob Fredette, co-owners of the Red Horse Inn in Falmouth.

According to Parkin, the State House celebration was the kickoff for a series of events marking the entry of various offices into the statewide MSBDC Network. The Western Mass. Regional Office at Springfield Technical Community College and the Boston College office will host events next spring, she said.

July 28, 2005