UC Merced small business center forms new tieups with CenVal agency and Fresno State

UC Merced’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network said it formed new partnership agreements with the Central Valley Business Incubator (CVBI) and Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) to expand the SBDC services.

The SBDC program is a job creation and job retention program that helps business owners and entrepreneurs with business plans, loan package proposals, advises on financial systems and projections, evaluates plans for expansion, provides analysis and assistance on cash flow issues, provides technology needs assessment along with important research, international trade and procurement assistance, the center said in a news release.

In addition to the free one-on-one business consulting, the management team offers a variety of workshops and seminars. The UC Merced’s SBDC network is a nationally accredited program, largely funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

OCED said it’s dedicated to aligning Fresno State’s intellectual capacity and economic development initiatives to improve the competitiveness and prosperity of the San Joaquin Valley region. In supporting economic development innovation, OCED collaborates with regional industry clusters to develop a strategic approach to development, technology transfers, workforce development initiatives, infrastructure needs, and collaborative industry relations.

Two direct results of OCED’s activities, the news release continued, are the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley (Partnership) and the Regional Jobs Initiative. Both initiatives are based on the idea that regional economies are made up of a series of related industries, or clusters, that benefit one another. Both initiatives continue to convene experts and leaders committed to sustainable community and economic development, environmental stewardship, and human advocacy for the San Joaquin Valley region.

The Central California SBDC program covers the counties of Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Madera. There are full-time offices in Fresno and Visalia with new satellite offices in Clovis, Hanford, Porterville and Madera. The main office is located at CVBI, 1630 E. Shaw Avenue, Fresno, CA, (559) 292-9033, www.ccsbdc.org or www.cvbi.org. For additional information. please visit the website at http://ucmsbdc.ecenterdirect.com or call (559) 292-9033.