McLennan Center Works to Nurture Entrepreneurs
Published Dec 03, 2008
Belinda Pillow is director of the McLennan Community College Small Business Development Center.
With a coverage area the size of Connecticut, the Small Business Development Center at McLennan Community College has a very long reach.
Good thing, too. With around 1 million people in its seven-county service region, many of whom are startup business owners and entrepreneurs, plenty of folks are looking for assistance.
“We serve the whole range of business needs, from the person with an idea to the existing business that may have some problems,” says Belinda Pillow, director. “And sometimes we get people who are doing fine, but are ready for expansion and not sure what steps they need to take. Our work really involves all aspects of business, and we’re able to deal with them.”
The McLennan SBDC is part of a national network, and was established on campus in 1984 as part of the school’s community outreach efforts.
Offering everything from business consulting to training seminars and assistance in accessing capital, the center averages around 300 cases a year, usually with several visits per client from start to finish.
Given the center’s vast coverage area in the Heart of Texas, sometimes access is the hardest part of working with a client. With that in mind, Pillow and her staff are working with the Heart of Texas Council of Governments to expand the center’s technology so it can be accessed remotely.
“Research and technology is a very important part of what we do here, and what many of our businesses are doing,” Pillow says. “And we want to be able to do more. We cover a big part of Central Texas, so being able to reach out to all those places is behind our collaboration with the Council of Governments,” Pillow says. “They serve the same counties as we do, so we’ll be able to accomplish a lot.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Jesse Knish
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