Small businesses in the Jefferson City area are thriving with the help of a hidden gem on the Lincoln University campus - the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC).
"The Small Business and Technology Development Center is a voice in the wilderness for small businesses in this community," Vander Hughes, owner of Bodies by Vander, said. "Through education and Dr. (Andria) Hendricks' leadership, the center has opened up additional financial resources for me that would have never been possible."
Since October 2015, Lincoln's SBTDC has worked with almost 50 clients, helping to invest in their dreams of opening and maintaining their businesses.
Places like Joy and Gladness Children's Academy, a 24-hour daycare; Bodies by Vander, a wellness and fitness center; The Blue Skillet, a soul food restaurant; and Flowers from Nowhere Else, a home-based floral arrangements business, all credit the SBTDC for part of their success.
Eric Burgess, dean of the LU School of Business, told the News Tribune the center was started due to President Kevin Rome's concern about the lack of minority-owned businesses in the area, but it aims to help anyone interested in starting a business.
"We want to help uplift new and existing businesses in the community by building partnerships and to help them contribute to the economic development in our area," Burgess said. "Our vision is to have an innovative technology center, ultimately becoming the economic/technology hub for the Mid-Missouri area."
Lincoln University's SBTDC is Jefferson City's second, joining one at MU Extension's Cole County office.
SBTDCs, part of the Unviersity of Missouri Business Extension Development Program, help entrepreneurs start their business and prepare for the financial process by helping them create business plans, implement marketing strategies and build their credit in preparation of attaining loans.
In addition, LU students can learn the fundamental principles associated with running a business, enabling them to graduate with applicable experiences under their belt.
"I really have a passion for helping people," Hendricks, director of Lincoln's SBTDC, said. "Looking at the disparities in the community, I was extremely excited to be able to work alongside innovative leaders like President Rome to offer a free resource to the community, giving new and existing businesses a little push toward their dreams."
Hughes said the SBTDC was the lifeline to maintaining his wellness center and since has continued to work with the center as he expands his brand to St. Louis. Hughes was one of the Lincoln SBTDC's first clients; he has owned his Jefferson City wellness center for three years.
With no prior business experience, Angela Whitman grew Flowers from Nowhere Else from the ground up with the guidance of the SBTDC. Her work has been showcased in the community and will soon appear on "The Real," a popular syndicated talk show, and in the bestselling magazine Better Homes and Garden in December.
The SBDTC has an established relationship with Justine Petersen, a community development financial institution that has helped to approve 30-35 small business loans for their clients.
Lisa Zimmerman, a small business counselor at Justine Petersen, said small businesses add real value to communities.
"The more small businesses you have, the stronger the community," Zimmerman said. "Andria is taking a lot of the gamble out of the process for small business owners by helping them to make financial projections and empowering them with information."
For 24-hour daycare owner LaKeisha McCaleb, the loans she was approved for through the SBTDC have not only helped her to maintain her business but to extend her capacity from 32 to 62 occupants and purchase a commercial transport van.
"If you're a small business owner, this is definitely a good place to start," McCaleb said. "Dr. Hendricks and her work with the center is amazing."
Whitman added, "She's more than just a small business center director; she takes pride in her clients and values their dreams."
Hendricks said the program serves as a way to build morale in the community, to show entrepreneurs they have something to offer, and to show her students the skills she is equipping them with will make them more marketable in the future.