Rebecca Lobina, the continuing professional education and director of Northwest Missouri State University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), recently was recognized by the University of Missouri Extension Business Development Program with two awards for her efforts to assist small business owners.

Lobina was honored for ranking among the top five SBDC professionals in counseling hours, and she received the Wise One award in recognition of a person who the SBDC network turns to regularly for sound advice and thoughtful insight. The awards recognize individual and team performance for the most recent fiscal year.

“I’m humbled that my colleagues nominated and voted for me to receive the Wise One award,” Lobina said. “I try to give advice and lend my almost 14 years of experience with the SBDC whenever requested. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing the recognition comes from co-workers.”

The Northwest SBDC serves a nine-county area in northwest Missouri and focuses on economic development assistance for businesses with fewer than 500 employees. It provides individual business counseling to small business owners and individuals, bringing Fortune 500 resources to business owners in the area at no charge to the business. The center also conducts conferences and workshops on relevant topics of interest to small business owners.

Based in St. Joseph, Missouri, Lobina is a management and consulting professional who works to help small businesses with process improvement, fiscal management, customer insights, and attaining annual goals through strategic planning and deployment.

The University of Missouri Extension Business Development Program assists businesses throughout the state through various programs, including Missouri Small Business Development Centers, Mid-America Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers and Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, among others.