Northwest Small Business Development Center

Small Business Development Centers are located throughout the United States at institutions of higher learning. Their focus is to create economic impact through the counseling and training of businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

The Northwest Small Business Development Center falls under the direction of Northwest Missouri State University and is also sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Northwest SBDC’s geographical region covers 17 counties spanning from Atchison County, southward to Platte County and eastward to Livingston County. There are three offices in the service region of the Northwest SBDC. The regional office is located in Maryville, Missouri. An office in Chillicothe serves the eastern portion of the region while an office in St. Joseph serves the southern section.

Functions of the Small Business Development Center

Provides pragmatic, individual counseling to small business firms and individuals throughout northwest Missouri
Coordinates and conducts research into technical and general small business problems.
Conducts conferences and workshops at a nominal charge on various topics of interest to the owners of small business.

The SBDC helps business owners and potential entrepreneurs meet today's competitive challenges. The SBDC offers consulting at no charge and follow-up services are available for all programs.

During the last fiscal year, the Northwest SBDC offices provided 2,000 hours of individual training to nearly 400 clients. The 17 county regional business outreach from the SBDC has verified $12 million in capital formation throughout the region. The businesses that the Northwest SBDC assisted created 60 jobs and retained 27 positions.

In addition, the Northwest SBDC held 58 training events providing 1,630 training hours to 556 attendees.

The Small Business Development Center has developed and cultivated relationships with partners such as the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED), State Legislature, area chambers of commerce and economic developers throughout the region to increase productivity and partnership possibilities for the SBDC.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the US Small Business Administration.