Thu, December 8, 2011
CSUSB INLAND EMPIRE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP (IECE) NAMED HOST OF IE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER
IECE will take over operations in January 2012
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Small business owners and new entrepreneurs in the Inland Empire can turn to a local center for help, advice and guidance as Cal State San Bernardino’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship has been designated to host the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network. The center is being operated through Cal State Fullerton’s Orange County/Inland Empire Regional Small Business Development Center Network and hosted by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership. The new development center network is set to open in January 2012, said Michael Stull, director of CSUSB’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship. “This is an incredible opportunity for IECE to expand its services and continue to meet its mission of helping small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs achieve greater levels of success in their business ventures,” said Stull, who is also a CSUSB professor of entrepreneurship and the director of the university’s College of Business and Public Administration’s entrepreneurship program. “The IESBDC program has a long history of being the premier provider of consulting and training services to small business owners in the Inland Empire,” Stull said. “We’re looking forward to working with CSU Fullerton and the U.S. Small Business Administration to take the program to new heights.” “Small business development centers are where the rubber meets the road,” said Adalberto Quijada, director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Santa Ana District. “Over the last decade, the Inland Empire SBDC has helped its clients create and retain 4,453 jobs, increase sales by $102 million, and generate capital infusion of $153 million, resulting in significant and measurable economic impact for the small business community of the Inland Empire. We look forward to working with CSUSB as the new host of the IESBDC.” Paul Granillo, the chief executive officer for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, said the “partnership has been proud to serve as the host of the Inland Empire Small Business Center for the past 20 years. We are pleased to pass that responsibility to Cal State San Bernardino and the Inland Empire Center of Entrepreneurship.” The center will cover all cities in San Bernardino and Riverside counties west of Cabazon to the Orange and Los Angeles county lines, and south to San Diego County. Cal State San Bernardino President Albert Karnig said the university is delighted to serve as the new host for the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center. “The overarching goals of our Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship and Women’s Business Center align nicely with those of the Small Business Development Center,” Karnig said. “We look forward to offering enhanced programs, services and training workshops to a diverse array of small business owners throughout the region so that they can become more successful. “Small businesses are the bedrock of the nation’s economy, accounting for more than 60 percent of all net new jobs created, as well as driving innovation and industry,” Karnig said. “In fact, thriving small businesses and entrepreneurs are leading the economic recovery, especially here in the Inland Empire, and we’re pleased to assume responsibility for the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center.” The Small Business Development Center Network is the most comprehensive small business assistance network in the United States and its territories. The mission of the network is to help new entrepreneurs realize their dream of business ownership, and assist existing businesses to remain competitive in the complex marketplace of an ever-changing global economy. Priscilla Lopez, the regional director of the Orange County/Inland Empire Regional Small Business Development Center Network, said the transition to the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship will be seamless with little or no disruption in services to the small business community. “We are fully committed to the success of the program and we are happy to have partners who will take on the challenge and work with us to meet and exceed the performance goals set by the United States Small Business Administration,” said Lopez. “Over the past two decades, the Inland Empire SBDC has played a critical role to help small businesses grow in the region, but given the economic situation we face, we must expand our efforts and commitment in the Inland Empire. We must help more businesses, touch more lives and help the economy grow.” The Small Business Development Centers are partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of California and other private sector funds to provide one-on-one technical assistance, access to capital, access to procurement opportunities and training for small business owners in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The Orange County/Inland Empire Regional Network is hosted by California State University, Fullerton’s Auxiliary Services Corporation. The Inland Empire Economic Partnership exists to better the business climate and quality of life of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The partnership is comprised of private, public, non-profit and education leaders from the two-county region. For additional information on the Orange County/Inland Empire Regional Small Business Development , contact Priscilla Lopez at (657) 278-5168 or e-mail plopez@exchange.fullerton.edu For more information on Cal State San Bernardino’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship contact Dr. Michael Stull at (909) 537-3708 or e-mail mstull@csusb.eduFor more information on Cal State San Bernardino contact the university’s Office of Public Affairs at (909) 537-5007.