About Us
There’s something special happening at the Ohio Small Business Development Center in Springfield. And it’s gaining national attention.
2019 SBA Small Business Development Centers Innovation and Excellence Award Winner for Region V
(selected from among 101 SBDCs in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota)
Our Vision
A thriving local economy powered by small businesses.
The Audacity ...
We also have a B.H.A.G. (big hairy audacious goal), which is to be the most startup-friendly community in the state.Â
Our Mission
 To provide the coaching and financing that small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs need to start, grow, and sustain their business.
That means ...
We succeed if and only when our clients succeed.
Our core principles
In other words, this is how we roll.
Be entrepreneurial.
We can't expect entrepreneurs to fully engage with and trust us if we don't look, act, talk, and walk like entrepreneurs ourselves. And it has to be authentic. We loathe bureaucracy and playing it safe.
Coach. Don't consult.
"Consultant" is such a stuffy word ... we prefer "coaches" here at the SBDC. That's because coaches uplift, encourage, cheer, and unlock your true potential as a business owner. We're not concerned with being the smartest person in the room.
Set the standard.
Mediocre isn't good enough around here. We literally want to be the best SBDC in the United States. So we don't accept status quo. We want to get better and better. And we're constantly learning so that we can be on the bleeding edge of business coaching.
Cultivate the ecosystem.
You're not going to find palm trees in the arctic tundra. They can't grow in that kind of ecosystem. The same is true for an entrepreneur trying to grow a business in a community that doesn't provide ideal conditions for it to do so. So we carefully tend to the entrepreneurial ecosystem like a gardener.
Do big things that move the needle.
We're trying to tackle big problems and make a big impact on our community. And we're not going to make much of a dent if we aren't doing big things. But it's not for show. Whatever we do, it has to make a real and lasting change.
Provide equal access to the
New American Dream.
Forget the white picket fence, two kids, and a job for life. The new American dream is to be your own boss. It's freedom. Freedom over your time. Freedom to make your own decisions. And financial freedom. We want that for everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from.
Our Full Time Business Advisers
Subject Matter Experts on Contract
Our Community Navigators
Our Board of Trustees
Joe Collinsworth
Bennett, Groeber, Mullen & Feltner CPAs
Brian Nott
Park National Bank
Barry Couts
True Inspection Services
Kristin Davis
Ohio Valley Surgical Institute
Rob Pollock
Clingman Insurance
Amy Donahoe
The Partnership of Greater Springfield
Tom Franzen
City of Springfield, OH
Tracy Yates
Clark State College
Otto Larson
Wallace and Turner Insurance
Jonathan Johnson
NiSource
Lori Houseman
Coldwell Banker Heritage Realty
Lisa Stoumile
Higher Dimensions Training
Kent Stone
Fresh, the Barbershop