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U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District
February 1, 2022
Golden wants to beef up funding for Small Business Development Centers
By Staff
Small Business Development Centers, including 22 in Maine, could get an increase of $40 million in annual funding over the next four years under legislation proposed by U.S. Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District, and Jim Hagedorn, R-Minn.
The Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2022 calls for an increase in annual funding to allow the centers to do more to build awareness of their programs and services.
“I’ve met so many small business owners in Maine who’ve told me Small Business Development Centers were key to getting their business off the ground,” Golden said in a news release on Monday. “From Fort Kent to Machias to South Paris, SBDCs are in communities across our state helping family businesses develop business plans, secure financing, and plan their growth.”
Small Business Development Centers help small businesses through low- or no-cost business training and advisory services in areas such as business plan development, marketing and sales, e-commerce, and small business strategic planning. Maine has a lead SBDC located at the University of Southern Maine.
In 2021, the Small Business Development Centers in the state served nearly 3,000 business owners and entrepreneurs trying to start, grow or sustain a business, said SBDC Maine Director Mark Delisle.
In 1977, USM was among eight pilot sites funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration to test the concept of leveraging federal, state and higher education resources to assist entrepreneurs and spur economic growth.
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