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South Centers

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Endeavor Center and Small Business Development Center

By Ryan Mapes, Endeavor Center Manager

The Endeavor Center continues to have a very successful year. We have been operating at a 100% occupancy rate for 2016. North Wind Construction Services LLC was the latest business to become an Endeavor Center partner. There has been much activity and many visitors through the doors this past quarter, hosting over 80 training or meeting events during the months of April, May and June.

Below is a list of Endeavor Center Partners:                                                                                                          

·   Adams Wealth Management

·   Boston Government Services

·   Alliant

·   CRC Technologies

·   EHI Consultants

·   EC Government Services

·   Hukari Ascendent

·   InSolves

·   InSolves Manufacturing

·   Navarro Research

·   North Wind Construction Services

·   Probatum Technology

·   Professional Project Services

·   Steve McCain and Associates

·   SAA Solutions

·   Swift and Staley

·   Visiting Angels Home Health

·   Wastren

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the OSU South Centers was recently successful in obtaining Ohio Development Services Agency funding for another two-year period, 2017 and 2018. We will continue to provide business consulting to the existing and start-up small businesses in our coverage area. Through the first three three quarters of fiscal year 2016, the SBDC at the OSU South Centers has assisted 245 clients and helped create 15 new businesses. Our clients have obtained $6,247,395 of capital, increased sales by $915,000, have created over 60 jobs, and have retained another 746.

Recently our SBDC has worked on a wide variety of projects. We received additional SBA funding to have detailed marketing projects completed for SBDC clients. This project was completed in partnership with the University of Rio Grande in which students from Dr. Wesley Theone’s marketing class completed market research and developed  comprehensive  Marketing Plans for three different SBDC clients including a coffee wholesaler, a beef processing plant, and a co-packing facility.

Another project we are currently working with is the Agricultural Development and Young Farmer grant application through Southern Ohio Agricultural Development Foundation (SOACDF). This is a program where our SBDC counselors work closely with area farmers to develop business plans for projects that will be submitted to SOACDF for potential grant funding. You can see details and deadlines about the program at http://www.soacdf.net/.

The OSU-RIO Collaboration TV/RADIO broadcasts are multi-media (Radio, TV, YouTube and Live Internet Streaming) educational shows with a host of topics that promote Small Businesses, business support organizations, programs at The Ohio State University South Centers, and educational programs at the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College. These shows air on Wednesday afternoons from the Radio and TV Studio at the University of Rio Grande. Guests include a variety of people representing educational, business development, community and organizational programs. The mission of these collaborative TV/RADIO broadcasts is twofold, first is to be an educational learning lab and second is to be a promotional tool for educational programs at the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College and the business and agricultural programs of The Ohio State University South Centers. 

In January 2012, the shows began simulcasting with the Rio Grande Educational Channel 17 TV station. This public access TV Program broadcasts under the Time Warner Cable System using one of their Public Educational Channels. Viewers from four southern Ohio counties can view broadcast shows live as well as listen on the Internet Blog-Talk Radio. All completed broadcast shows are also uploaded onto YouTube, with all shows archived on Blog-Talk radio and YouTube video channels for viewing and listening again. According to statistics of YouTube and Internet Radio, over 178 countries and over 55,000 people have listened or viewed to one of the archived shows.

With the success of the University of Rio Grande partnership, the SBDC had the opportunity to obtain grant funds to initiate a live streaming radio and TV broadcast  international media channel to be located at the OSU South Centers. Emphasis is on small businesses, supportive small business organizations and agricultural programs. Training events covering a wide variety of business related topics also be recorded and archived on YouTube as well as the data recording platform used by the Ohio SBDC.

Be sure to visit our weekly Blog and stay up-to-date with the OSU South Centers business development network at https://u.osu.edu/osubusinessdevelopmentnetwork/.