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In Case You Missed It, WMUR’s Fred Kocher discussed Governor Chris Sununu’s proposed cuts to the Small Business Development Center with two business owners -- Kim Clark, owner of Ciao Trattoria and Clark’s American Bistro in Durham, and Marty Parichand, owner of Outdoor New England in Franklin -- who both depend on the SBDC. Sununu’s budget would eliminate an organization that brings in significant federal funding to help new small businesses launch and help existing small businesses navigate difficult times, such as the COVID pandemic. Sununu’s move could permanently shut down the SBDC, leaving New Hampshire as the only state in the nation without a Small Business Development Center. A cash match is required to receive the federal funds that help operate the center.
Key points:
“New Hampshire’s Small Business Development Center has been helping very small New Hampshire businesses for 36 years, starting a business, planning, funding, training. Last year, the Small Business Development Center in New Hampshire helped 7,000 small businesses and saved 1300jobs. But that was last year. This year, its future is in jeopardy … by Governor Chris Sununu in his latest state budget."
“Navigating as a small business is very difficult, you don’t really have time to look for resources and [the SBDC] were easy to find and they were able to provide all of the resources we needed. When there’s a crisis going on, you turn to where you know you can get help right away … they were able to help us navigate the complexity of operating during the pandemic,” [said Clark.]
“[The SBDC] helped me navigate everything from the very beginning to everything I’ve done up until last week. They’ve been intimately involved in every aspect of our business.” [said Parichand.]
“Keene Chamber president Phil Suter said and I quote, ‘SBDC provides a vital service to the small business community in our region and around the state. Cutting that support is a very bad message for the state to be sending at any time, let alone as we try to climb out of the economic challenges related to the pandemic.’”
You can watch the interview here.
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