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March 2013
Dear ,
The numbers are in for 2012! We had another banner year with over 1,700 jobs created, 369 business starts, 2,200 jobs retained, and $93 million in capital formation. We are excited for yet another great year as we continue to roll out new programs and services. I would like to extend a special thank you to the SBDC family of staff, consultants, and volunteers who continue to support and assist business owners throughout the state.
We are excited to announce our 7th Annual Veteran's Conference which will be held in Colorado Springs on May 2nd. The conference is designed to help veterans leverage their veteran-owned business status with seminars ranging from contracting and procurement to marketing and cash flow management. This is a great opportunity for Colorado Veterans to gain valuable procurement knowledge, as well as network with potential buyers and veteran business owners.
In other procurement news, Southern Colorado SBDC will host the annual Southern Colorado Small Business Expo next Saturday, March 23rd. Over 75 small businesses will be in attendance to market and sell their products and services.
I would also like to mention that we are continuing service for the victims of the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires. Some of the businesses affected are still in revival mode, and our disaster recovery team will continue service for as long as it is needed. Thank you to our team and volunteers who have aided in this recovery effort.
Stay tuned for updates on upcoming events.
Sincerely,
 Kelly Manning
State Director
Colorado Small Business Development Center Network |
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NEECCO SBDC Success Story: Vince's GM Center
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 Vince and Jana Schreivogel purchased their first GM franchise in July of 1983. Vince's Chevrolet-Olds-Cadillac, Inc. was located at 1332 Senter Avenue in Burlington, Colorado for 18 years.
In February of 2000, Vince and Jana purchased Bull Rush Motor Co., which was a Buick, Pontiac, GMC dealership. The two stores were consolidated and named Vince's GM Center.
The business was moved to 1697 Rose Avenue in Burlington.
General Motors discontinued the Oldsmobile franchise in 2001, and Pontiac in 2009, making Vince's GM Center the four franchise dealer it is today.
Schreivogel said "Over the years, we have acquired new customers and friends by being passionate about customer service".
In December 2009, General Motors announced a program for its dealers called "Facility Image". Vince's GM Center had outgrown its facility in all departments, and if they wanted to progress and continue to grow their business, they needed to consider building a new dealership. Not knowing where to begin, the Schreivogels contacted the Northeast East-Central ColoradoSBDC for some guidance. "The SBDC was helpful in assisting us with budgeting and contacting financial companies, said Vince. "We were fortunate to work with the SBDC, who was very instrumental in assisting us in securing funding and getting us through the building process."
On May 27, 2011, they broke ground on their brand new facility located one block west of their old location, at 1847 Rose Avenue. One year later, they moved into their new dealership.
"I began selling cars in 1972 at this very location, which at that time was a Ford dealership. Forty years later this is truly a dream come true," said Vince. "Since moving into our new facility, our sales have increased by more than 30 percent."
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| Creative Industries Summit | | |
 Colorado Creative Industries is pleased to announce that registration is open for the 2013 Creative Industries Summit: Mapping Creative Communities, April 11-12. Register before March 15 and receive a special early bird price of $135! After March 15 the price will increase to $150. A price of $125 is available for students. Registration includes the full two-day program and the Governor's Arts Award Luncheon. Click here to see details and register.
Pueblo's own Haunted Windchimes,a musical group "popular among the grey hairs, green hairs, purple hairs and all over" according to Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion, will perform during the luncheon celebrating winners Aspen and Pueblo. Registration is available for the Governor's Arts Award luncheon only at a cost of $40.
This event will include a full range of workshops covering creative entrepreneurship, arts in rural communities, creative districts, arts innovation and film tracks. In addition, the program will feature keynote speakers Ken Arkind and Bobby LeFebre of Slam Nuba and cultural experiences within the Pueblo Creative Corridor. View more info.
Limited sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are still available. Contact Christy Costello at 402.639.3254 or Christy@eastendarts.com.
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Colorado Launches the Colorado InSite Tool
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The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) recently launched Colorado InSite, an innovative mapping system that allows businesses looking to relocate or expand in Colorado to find available properties, and maps over 600,000 businesses in the state.
"Thousands of pieces of data, statistics and facts were culled and organized by Colorado employees to create this library of business information you won't find anywhere else for the state," said Ken Lund, executive director of OEDIT. "This tool is crucial to keeping Colorado on the cutting edge of the global economy, providing a virtual map of the unique business assets we offer in the state. This will allow companies in Colorado, as well as outside of Colorado, to make wise and informed business decisions based on available data."
Colorado InSite provides information free to the public, including available commercial property listings, mapping by industry and companies, data on existing businesses, and community, recreational and infrastructure assets. For example, detailed demographics reports can be created based on a radius or drive time around a property or business or for a specific community. More information on Colorado InSite can be found here.
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| Governor's Award for Excellence in Exporting | |
 Applications are currently being accepted for the 2013 Governor's Award for Excellence in Exporting. This award has been given to Colorado exporters every year since 1970 and recognizes companies that demonstrate a commitment to growing through international trade. Winners will be formally recognized at World Trade Day on May 16th, 2013. Both product and service exporters of any size or industry are encouraged to apply. In the past, the award has been given to companies in various categories such as small manufacturing company (as measured by annual revenue), large manufacturing company, services company, and agricultural-sector exporter.
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| SBA - Visa Export Video Contest | |
Are you a Small Business Exporter? Tell your story to SBA for a chance to win $10,000. If you have a success story to tell about the goods or services you sell around the world and have used a federal government program or assistance to get there, submit your story to the "2013 SBA-Visa Export Video Contest". Visit www.exportvideo.challenge.gov for more information.
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| Small Business Lender On Deck Capital Expands to Denver | |
 Small business lender On Deck Capital is expanding into the Rocky Mountain region. The Denver office, which opened with 16 employees, will expand to over 200 professionals in the next two years across sales, operations and technology functions.
Launched in 2007, On Deck uses data aggregation and electronic payment technology to evaluate the financial health of small and medium sized businesses and efficiently deliver capital to a market under served by banks. Through the On Deck platform, millions of small businesses can obtain affordable loans with a fraction of the time and effort that it takes through traditional channels. The company's proprietary credit models look deeper into the health of businesses, focusing on overall business performance, rather than the owner's personal credit history. The On Deck system also provides a critically needed mechanism for financial institutions and other business service providers to efficiently reach the Main Street small business market. On Deck has loaned out about $320 million over the past three years, said CEO Noah Breslow.
Full press release can be found here.
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| Small Business Tip: How to Leverage Your Veteran-Owned Business | |
Are you a veteran-owned small business and thinking of selling to your former boss - the U.S. federal government? Check out these tips for getting started selling to the U.S. government and winning a government contract.
1) Boots to Business - Get Help Starting Your Business - Boots to Business is a public-private partnership program that gives service members support to help them learn the nuts and bolts of how to start and grow a business and access SBA tools and resources available to them.
3) Review your Financing Options - In addition to a range of other loan programs, SBA's Patriot Express Program is specifically designed for small businesses that are more than 51 percent owned or controlled by veterans or members of the military community and are available up to $500,000.
4) Familiarize Yourself with Small Business Incentives for Government Contracting - The law mandates that government agencies establish contracting goals that require them to reach out and consider small businesses and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses for procurement opportunities. Currently, 23 percent of contracts must be awarded to small businesses and three percent to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. These opportunities will help open doors, but you must still be able to sell your business on performance, price and ability. Contact your Veterans Business Outreach Center to learn more about these and other incentive opportunities.
5) Learn About How the Government Buys - The government applies standardized procedures to buy products and services it needs from suppliers that meet certain qualifications. The primary contracting methods used by the government include micro-purchases, simplified procedures, sealed bidding, contract negotiations and consolidated purchasing. Learn more about these in another SBA online training course, Government Contracting 101: How the Government Buys, or read a quick overview of the process in my earlier blog: Government Contracting - Learn how the Government Buys from Small Businesses.
See the remaining tips here.
This tip brought to you by Caron Beesley and the SBA.
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| Southern Colorado Small Business Expo | | |
Southern Colorado Small Business Expo
"Community Vendor Fair & Marketplace"
Saturday, March 23, 2013
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Pueblo Convention Center
(320 Central Main Street, Pueblo)
Join us and over 75 other small business vendors at the annual Small Business Expo. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to participate and use this opportunity to not only market their business to the Southern Colorado community, but also to network with other businesses from throughout Colorado and a variety of public consumers in attendance.
The expo will be open to the public, with free admission drawing a larger number of attendees. Other activities at the event include live entertainment, a Kid Zone area, car show, and free community document shredding. Join us for this affordable, one day marketplace expo specifically featuring all small business vendors. It's a marketing and networking event that you don't want to miss!
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| Founder's Series - Meier Skis | |
Colorado SBDC is a proud supporter of Something Independent's Founders Series. This second installment of the Founders series features Meier Skis, a Northwest Colorado SBDC success story! Having started Meier Skis out of his tiny one-car garage, Matt has worked up from building that very first pair of skis in 2009 to being on pace to produce close to 1,000 pairs of skis in the upcoming year. Each pair is hand-built with Colorado forest products, primarily aspen and beetle-kill pine, in his new 2,000 sq. ft. shop in Glenwood Springs.
The Founders Series takes you beyond the product and into the soul of those Colorado business founders operating at the intersection of commerce and lifestyle. To spend time with them is to experience first-hand their spirit, their passion, and their perspective on building a life around their business -- or perhaps the other way around.
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| Distilling Institute | | |
 The Distillers Conference and Vendor Expo will be hosted in Denver this year from April 1st - 4th. The expo offers program seminars, panels, and workshops for all types of distillers, including those who are new to the industry and interested or considering starting a distillery, the new craft distiller looking to gain knowledge on production techniques and brand building, and the seasoned distillers who are seeking help in taking their brand to the next level.
More information and registration can be found here.
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| Hops and Handrails | |
Left Hand Brewing Co. is proud to introduce Hops & Handrails Beer Fest & Rail Jam on March 23rd in Longmont, Colorado. The new winter event will feature 23 of Colorado's finest craft breweries alongside a 25 ft. high ski ramp at Left Hand's brewery location from 2-7p.m. Hops & Handrails Beer Fest & Rail Jam will bring the best Colorado has to offer in a family friendly winter wonderland loaded with skis & snowboards, great music, local food, and craft beer. Hops & Handrails will benefit 3 different nonprofits, A Woman's Work, SOS Outreach, and the Colorado Brewers Guild.
 When: Saturday | 3-23-13 | 2-7pm Where:
Left Hand Brewing Company
1270 Boston Ave. Longmont, CO
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| Veteran Entrepreneur Training Symposium | | |
The National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC) announces the return of the Veteran Entrepreneur Training Symposium (VETS) for the 3rd consecutive year at the Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno, Nevada from June 10-13, 2013.
VETS2013 will assemble more than 500 stakeholders to discuss how to take full advantage of federally-mandated contracting opportunities specifically for veteran-owned small businesses. The event includes representatives from the veteran small business community, federal agencies and prime contractors who exchange knowledge and business opportunities in the classroom, exhibit hall and in the one-on-one business sessions.
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Colorado Small Business Development Center
a division of
Colorado Office of Economic Development
& International Trade
1625 Broadway, Suite 2700
Denver, CO 80202 |
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