Small Business Development Center

Nineteen southwestern Illinois-based entrepreneurs and their innovative business concepts have been selected to move into the second round of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Metro East Start-Up Challenge (MESC).

The annual business plan competition, now in its ninth year, welcomes entrepreneurs and new businesses from a nine-county area of southwestern Illinois and has been expanded to include Fayette and Montgomery counties.

“We’re extremely pleased with the sustained ...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Business and the Illinois Small Business Development Center for the Metro East are excited to partner with Town and Country Bank to provide a free seminar to local small businesses.

The event aims to educate business owners in the Metro East on how Advantage Illinois and Fund for the Advancement of Minority Enterprises (FAME) can help fund minority, women, disabled, and veteran-owned small businesses. The seminar will be held at 12 p.m....

With the help of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, The Game Yard in Highland is open for business. Seven business partners used their ingenuity and saw the need for fun, engaging entertainment for the local community. In August 2021, they began working with the SBDC and brought their idea to reality.

“You don’t realize how in-depth the process is when developing a small business,” said Mike Hann...

Entrepreneurs and new business startups are invited to compete in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s ninth annual regional business plan competition: the 2022 Metro East Start-Up Challenge (MESC).

The MESC is organized by the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at SIUE. The purpose of the Challenge is to identify, encourage, and support entrepreneurs and business startups across the SBDC’s service area, including Jersey, Calhoun, Madison,...

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is proud to partner with colleagues at the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at the Joseph Center to support Operation Ten City Tour: St. Louis.

“We are excited to partner with the SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE in this venture,” said Director of the Illinois SBDC-ITC-PTAC at the Joseph Center Andy Pham. &#...

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has supported JewelRide, a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) business, by assisting with the company’s marketing, social media management, and financing. This summer, as a community outreach initiative, JewelRide is collaborating with the Edwardsville Public Library to host a Books for Bikes Reading Challenge.

The Books for Bikes Reading Challenge is open to chil...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Office of Online Services and Education Outreach (OSEO) and Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East are among the participants in an upcoming event celebrating the aging population and their families.

The inaugural Love a Senior Day will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, June 10 at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Belleville. The event is sponsored by the Uncle Gene Foundation, Gateway Grizzlies, Amer...

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is proud to have supported the spring 2022 opening of The Loading Bar in Edwardsville. Owner Ryan Wilson used his education and experience and practiced patience and resilience to make his business concept a reality.

Wilson earned a bachelor’s in business administration, entrepreneurship specialization, in 2012 and a Master’s of Business Administration in 2014, both ...

The southern Illinois region has long needed a customized, action-oriented export training initiative to put local businesses on the international map. Now, five regional businesses have benefited from such an opportunity, EXPORT NOW.

Presented by the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in partnership with the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council, LR International and the Illinois District Export Council, with financial support...

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented disruption to the global economy, which is causing severe negative impacts to small and mid-sized businesses.

Through its federal partner, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) via the CARES Act COVID-19 supplemental funding, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network remains at the center of the national economic recovery effort, supporting small businesses, so they can survive, recover and position themselves for future growth....