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West Virginia District Office
320 West Pike Street Suite 330
Clarksburg, WV
26301
United States
Phone:
304-623-5631
See map: Google Maps
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SBDC and Other Resource Partners Help Small Business Owner with Start-up
Introduced by mutual friends, Jim Bostic and Denver McMillion quickly connected, built a high level of trust and combined their diverse professional backgrounds to form a manufacturing company. Needing some assistance to put together a good business plan to secure adequate financing, they approached the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) to help make their dreams a reality.
Directed by Conley Salyer since 2001, the WVSBDC, partially funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA), comprises 12 satellite offices on the campuses of community and technical colleges throughout West Virginia and two located at Region One Workforce Investment Boards in Beckley and Summersville. The SBA is a federal government agency which helps maintain and strengthen the nation’s economy by aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small businesses. SBDC’s and SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business,” are valuable SBA resource partners who provide counseling services and management assistance, free of charge in most instances, to current and prospective small business owners.
Conducting workshops on business structuring and licensing procedures, WVSBDC counselors also provide business advice on marketing, cash flow and pricing.
Driving down a gravel road through a yellow fence past a flock of turkeys, the last thing you’d expect to see at the end of a winding road in Muddlety, West Virginia is a sheet metal manufacturing company. Five miles back at the service station, people know that Muddlety has a new business: West Virginia Metal Wholesalers.
Just four years ago, Jim Bostic and Denver McMillion had not even conceived the idea of West Virginia Metal Wholesalers, a metal roofing and siding manufacturer. After the two men were introduced by friends, Bostic and McMillion realized that their backgrounds meshed and started toying with the idea of starting a business together. Bostic already owned a small business, Roll Form Tech, Ltd., which employed 17 people. In the late 1970s, he also managed a trucking company with 120 employees. Complementing Bostic’s experience, McMillion possessed 27 years of experience in marketing and selling building materials. Together, the two men identified the opportunity for manufacturing coated metal roofing and siding using roll form technology. They realized that tighter Environmental Protection Agency regulations for shingle disposal had increased demand for metal roofing. They saw a distinct advantage as the only distributor of 100-year metal roofs in West Virginia.
Even though Bostic and McMillion had a great business concept, they still needed assistance in funding the $1.1 million project. “Financing was the greatest obstacle,” said Bostic. Well-known for their business successes, the two men approached Paul Cook at the Fairmont Regional Small Business Development Center in Flatwoods (Flatwoods SBDC).
Bostic stated, “I already knew Paul Cook and worked closely with him. I knew what I wanted and worked in conjunction with Paul to do the business plan.” After completing the business plan, Bostic and McMillion approached banks for financing. “You have to sell yourself to the banks. I do what I say and it shows through,” explained Bostic.
Securing financing from the Fifth Third Bank and the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, Bostic and McMillion worked closely with the local 4-C Economic Development Authority and the Flatwoods SBDC to secure the property in Muddlety. After obtaining the location, Bostic and McMillion constructed a manufacturing facility from the same type of sheet metal that the company will produce.
“We even used the same doors, trims and fasteners in the building that we will distribute to wholesalers within a 700-mile radius,” said Bostic. With five employees, the company projects employing 32 to 35 workers by the end of the fourth business year. Driving every day from Spencer, Bostic is even musing about making Muddlety home, “I might buy some land on the other side of the mountain, build a house and settle here.”
For more information on the SBA and the resources available to assist small business, contact the West Virginia District Office at 800-767-8052 ext. 8 or by email at wvinfo@sba.gov, or visit them on the web at www.sba.gov/wv.
SBDC Helps Small Business Owner Gain Access to Microloans for Start-up
Following a lay-off by Nisource (Columbia Gas), 20-year veteran Richard Shell tirelessly searched the Internet before finding the right franchise opportunity. Once he determined the type of business would best suit his entrepreneurial desire, he turned to the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) for the technical assistance to make his dream a reality.
Directed by Conley Salyer since 2001, the WVSBDC, partially funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA), comprises 12 satellite offices on the campuses of community and technical colleges throughout West Virginia and two located at Region One Workforce Investment Boards in Beckley and Summersville. The SBA is a federal government agency which helps maintain and strengthen the nation’s economy by aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small businesses. SBDC’s and SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business,” are valuable SBA resource partners who provide counseling services and management assistance, free of charge in most instances, to current and prospective small business owners.
Facing many difficulties with a positive outlook has been the secret to success for Shell and his Budget Blinds franchise in Hurricane, West Virginia. “I always had a fire in my belly to do something,” exclaimed Shell. The opportunity came after a job displacement. “I began searching the Internet for franchise opportunities and found Budget Blinds.”
After discovering a franchise that would combine his love of helping people with his home improvement experience, Shell sought help from a number of sources. First, he turned to the WORKFORCE West Virginia Center in Hurricane. At their recommendation, he attended a business planning seminar at Unlimited Future, Inc. (UFI) in Huntington. Ultimately, UFI referred Shell to Amber Wilson and Edna McClain, business analyst and center manager, respectively for the Marshall Community & Technical College SBDC also in Huntington. Working with McClain and Wilson, he received financial advice and business assistance. “They looked over my financial documents and helped with a business plan,” explained Shell. Faced with financing challenges, McClain directed Shell to Lightstone Community Development Corporation. “Conventional financing was not available to me. I worked with the Lightstone CDC and received a $35,000 loan through their SBA microloan program,” he said. In addition, Wilson assisted Shell with obtaining a $15,000 UFI-WVSBDC microloan.
Together, the team at the Marshall Community & Technical College SBDC helped jumpstart Shell’s business. Working out of his van, Shell offers custom window treatments such as draperies, fabric blinds, valances, wood blinds and shutters. His enthusiasm for his products quickly spreads to his customers. “I saw one of Richard’s yard signs and looked at one of my neighbor’s blinds that Richard had installed. I called and Richard gave good pricing, much better than JC Penney’s,” says Joyce Cumpston, one of Shell’s customers. People like Cumpston are what motivate Shell. “I love what I’m doing. It’s not the same drudgery. People are what make me go,” he says.
With a realtor referral program, door-to-door canvassing and promotional signs, Budget Blinds has grown quickly. In fact, Shell has hired an installer who will become his business partner. With an MBA and a solid business background, Shell says, “I am focusing on my strengths like advertising, marketing and sales.” Since he owns the only Budget Blinds franchise in West Virginia, he hopes to increase his territory and conduct his operations from a central location. For now, the delight in the eyes of customers like Cumpston proves that Shell is on the road to business success.
For more information on the SBA and the resources available to assist small business, contact the West Virginia District Office at 800-767-8052 ext. 8 or by email at wvinfo@sba.gov, or visit them on the web at www.sba.gov/wv.
SBDC and SCORE Guide Small Business Owner Through Start-up
After scribbling a list of her abilities and the names of potential clients on a napkin in a local restaurant, Kathleen DuBois decided to start her own marketing firm but needed a little help to get it started. That’s when she turned to the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) for the technical assistance to make her dream a reality.
Directed by Conley Salyer since 2001, the WVSBDC, partially funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA), comprises 12 satellite offices on the campuses of community and technical colleges throughout West Virginia and two located at Region One Workforce Investment Boards in Beckley and Summersville. The SBA is a federal government agency which helps maintain and strengthen the nation’s economy by aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small businesses. SBDC’s and SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business,” are valuable SBA resource partners who provide counseling services and management assistance, free of charge in most instances, to current and prospective small business owners.
Kevin Twohig, the state’s small business ombudsman at the SBDC, and the other small business development counselors throughout West Virginia assist small businesses every day. Whether it’s helping business owners through licensing procedures or writing business plans, the counselors work diligently to put the right people in business and keep them there. “Ninety-four percent of our clients’ businesses that were started in 2002 were still in business two years later. We help people to determine whether they should go into business,” says Salyer.
Conducting workshops on business structuring and licensing procedures, WVSBDC counselors also provide business advice on marketing, cash flow and pricing.
DuBois is one of Twohig’s success stories, starting her marketing firm, DaisySeed Communications, Inc. located in Charleston, three years ago. After the first year in business, DuBois found her lifeline at the WVSBDC while watching a local television show. “I saw people from the SBDC being interviewed and it seemed as if they were speaking directly to me. I called them up and scheduled an appointment,” she explained. Although DuBois had over 10 years experience in marketing and fundraising, she still needed Twohig’s small business experience. “Kevin was like a savior to me. He helped to validate my path,” she said. “He was a wealth of information and helped me to refine our business plan.”
With Twohig’s assistance, Dubois has created a second consulting firm, Progressity Development Solutions, which provides fundraising consulting services to nonprofit organizations and academic institutions. She became a certified fundraising executive in June 2003 and her nonprofit client roster includes West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Leadership West Virginia, ABLE Families, West Virginia Public Broadcasting and Roane General Hospital Foundation.
DaisySeed Communications recently received an honorable mention award from the U.S. Department of Justice for a campaign they developed to reduce and prevent gun violence, entitled, “Hard Time for Gun Crime.”
Although DuBois seems to have overcome the struggles that many new businesses face, she says, “By surrounding myself with a core group of business experts, I can ensure top quality service to both DaisySeed and Progressity clients. That’s where a person like Kevin helps me.”
Working out of the Charleston Enterprise Center, DuBois was able to employ a full-time administrative assistant and plans to expand her consulting staff in the near future. To celebrate her business success, she receives a visit from the florist once a month. “I always said that once I knew my business was secure, I would have daisies delivered to our office once a month and that’s what we do.”
For more information on the SBA and the resources available to assist small business, contact the West Virginia District Office at 800-767-8052 ext. 8 or by email at wvinfo@sba.gov, or visit them on the web at www.sba.gov/wv.
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