West Virginia State University Economic Development Center and West Virginia Small Business Development Center Partner to Provide Free Business Coaching

12/11/2019

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Contact: Jack Bailey
(304) 766-4109
jbaile19@wvstateu.edu

     
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University (WVSU) Economic Development Center (EDC) has teamed with the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC) to provide free business coaching at the EDC Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. WV SBDC Business Coach Will Miller will be onsite to assist entrepreneurs and small business owners with their business ideas and plans.

The collaboration results from the agencies’ mutual desire to assist with the needs of entrepreneurs, start-up companies and existing small businesses.

“We felt we could partner with the Small Business Development Center to provide business development programs and technical assistance to help entrepreneurs start, grow and expand their businesses,” said WVSU EDC Director Tiffany Ellis-Williams. “The WV SBDC was looking to have a presence on Charleston’s West Side, and, with our mutual mission to assist the business community, the WVSU EDC provides the perfect venue.”

The WV SBDC provides support to West Virginia’s small businesses through one-on-one coaching, training and facilitating connections to resources. Research shows that business owners who work with coaches nationwide see 17 percent annual sales growth, four times the national average.

Miller joined the WV SBDC last August to lead the WV SBDC Charleston Center, which focuses on small businesses in Clay, Kanawha, Putnam and Roane counties. He is part of the state-wide network of WV SBDC business coaches providing guidance in areas such as exporting, innovation, technology and economic development, finance, management, cyber-security and marketing.

Business owners and entrepreneurs can stop in anytime during the 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. timeframe on Tuesdays to meet with Miller or call the WVSU EDC at (304) 720-1401 to schedule an appointment.

The WVSU EDC is located at 1506 Kanawha Blvd. West in Charleston.
               
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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi‐generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.