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America’s SBDCs help make the dream of small business ownership a reality for more Americans — creating jobs and opportunities that build communities throughout the nation.
See how the North Carolina SBTDC has served its communities.
1,500
1,500
Businesses that received Rapid Recovery Loans from the NC Rural Center and follow-up from the SBTDC
HotSugarPop Serves Up Unique Flavors at Their New Fayetteville Retail Shop
Ever wanted to try Dill Pickle popcorn? HotSugarPop's unique flavors are all the rage at their retail shop in Fayetteville, which opened in the Fall of 2019. A reliance on social media has helped the company continue expanding during the pandemic.
The SBTDC partners with a number of accelerators and incubators across North Carolina, including Launch Chapel Hill and Winston Starts, to help entrepreneurs get the know-how to launch their business ventures via our Taking the Leap program.
Heather McWhorter, Director of Business Launch at SBTDC
Equilibar Finds Growth Through Expanded International Presence
Equilibar turned to the SBTDC in 2014 to help expand its international business. The SBTDC helped Equilibar secure a $450K policy from the Export-Import Bank and extend credit to foreign customers. The company worked with MBA students to explore growth potential in India and Japan and has since brought on a distributor in Japan and is continuing to explore entry to the Indian market. In 2019, more than 50% of sales came from international customers for the first time in Equilibar's history.
When COVID-19 started, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. [Taking the Leap] shifted my mindset and for the first time in a while, I knew what I wanted to do. Working with [the SBTDC] alleviated a lot of the stress of starting a business.
Victoria Coleman, Owner of Wilma's Vegan Market
Xona Microfluidics Relies on STTR Funds to Finance Future
Xona Microfluidics began working with the SBTDC in 2011 to get help with securing financing from the NIH's Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. Since 2013, Xona has received nearly $3 million in STTR grants, including a $678K Phase I grant, a $1.9M Phase II grant, and a $225K Phase I grant. The STTR funding has allowed Xona to finance commercialization of its product, including identifying potential customers, marketing, and investment in R&D to make the product more user-friendly.
ImageMark Pivots to Provide Pandemic-Related Materials to Clients
ImageMark was experiencing a record start to 2020 when COVID-19 hit and revenues declined 56 percent in two months. To stay afloat, ImageMark worked with the SBTDC to secure a $600K SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. After regaining its financial footing, ImageMark began offering pandemic-related materials to clients, including face shields and instructional signage, to make up for some of the lost revenue. By July, ImageMark was devoting about 5% of its budget to producing these products.
We Play a Significant Leadership Role in Response to Natural Disasters
Whether we are processing loans, assisting SBA, or working alongside the NC Department of Commerce’s Disaster Planning Team or State of North Carolina Emergency Management Office’s Disaster Recovery Team, we are the state’s leading first responders for small business.
Our Network Continues an Active Outreach to North Carolina’s Military Installations
North Carolina is home to Ft. Bragg, a major facility which is home to US Airborne operations. It also is home to Camp Lejune, the US Marine Corps’ major east coast military installation; and to the US Coast Guard’s eastern US aircraft maintenance facility. Many servicemen and women choose to remain in NC following discharge or retirement. Some of these choose to start or acquire a business in our state. In a typical year, we expect that between 10-12% of our clients will be veterans.
40%
40%
of our clients are women-owned small businesses in a typical year.
We Continue to Provide Tech Focused Services to Our Clients
We were the first SBDC to have a “technology” focus. It started in 1984 with this focus and remains to date the most significant “T” focused SBDC in the country. The Tech program provides counseling and training and focused support to companies to help them access SBIR/STTR funding and early-stage private capital. The SBTDC and the NC PTAC programs are operating components under the Business & Technology Extension Program unit at NC State University.
