 "Photo: N/A")
The Illinois Small Business Development Center turned 25 Tuesday, and community members, university staff and small-business owners gathered at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center to celebrate.
The center provides counseling, training and information to more than 350 small businesses per year in southern Illinois, said Lynn Andersen Lindberg, executive director of the center.
SIU President Glenn Poshard spoke at the event, noting the center has counseled more than 2,100 clients and helped 553 of those clients secure a total of $83,679,000 in financing.
Despite recent economic conditions, Lindberg said the center has seen an increase in the number of small businesses.
“As people have faced downsizing with companies in the region, or perhaps their second job disappeared, they’ve looked at employment for themselves as a very viable option,” Lindberg said.
Local business owners who have benefited from the center’s services set up kiosks around the atrium, offering samples of their food and services to attendees.
Charlie Campbell, owner of SI Tours, LLC, said the center helped him put together his business plan and get the line of credit he needed to get started.
Campbell said he’s been back to the center several times for classes.
“Once you get past the university, most everything here is a small business, so anything they can do here to help the businesses in southern Illinois (is) a big benefit,” he said.
Sidney Logwood, owner of Southern Que Barbecue in Carbondale, also said the center helped him with his business plan.
Logwood said the center helps people package good ideas into something sellable.
“I tell people all the time, instead of talking about looking for jobs, you might need to make your job, and small business affords you that opportunity,” he said.
However, Logwood said a lot of people are missing out on a valuable service by not seeking help from the Dunn-Richmond Center.
“I think they have some people here that know what they’re doing and can really be of great benefit to them,” he said. “I think it’s a resource that just needs to be tapped into more.”
Lindberg said small business would continue to flourish because many owners are attracted to the quality of life in southern Illinois.
“There are always new people coming into the area and there are people from here that have new ideas,” she said. “And that just gives you opportunity.”
Nick Johnson can be reached at nickj39@siu.edu
