As published in the November 1, 2005 Toledo Business Journal
Mark A. V’Soske
Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce, CAE, president
Economic impact of SBDC
program
increases 95%
over
previous year
TBJ: What do you see as the most important need in the business community?
MV: Business is sometimes portrayed negatively. When people talk about wanting to create jobs, businesses do that. The government and political leaders have a great impact on establishing a good business climate, but don’t create jobs – it’s the business community that does. And if businesses don’t feel that their investment and their risk is going to pay off for them in a particular location, they won’t be here. That’s why we need to create an entrepreneurial atmosphere in this community that welcomes business, rather than penalizing it with taxes and regulations. This is something we need to solve, and in some ways we’re on the right track.
TBJ: What advice would you provide for advancing the economy in our region?
MV: One thing we’ve done to advance the economy in the region is the launching of the LEAD (Leadership for Economic Advancement and Development) campaign. The Chamber and the Port Authority, back in the early 90s, established the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) to focus on economic development. What has happened, from my view, is that economic development became very politicized and took the economic development professionals off task.
When businesses come to a community to look at what it can offer, for confidentiality reasons they’re not necessarily comfortable going to a government agency. They need to go to a place where they can receive unbiased information and advice before going to the appropriate governments to work out the particular deals. We felt that we needed to make a change somewhere, and that was in the funding of the RGP. The LEAD campaign was established to raise private sector funds to allow the RGP to operate without public monies and to do their job correctly to get the economy moving. And we have succeeded in doing that as the five-year campaign is nearing $9 million out of an $8 million goal.
In saying this, I’m not suggesting that we ignore government. We must work with them as they have tools, legislative power, and clearly are part of the whole solution to the area’s economic growth. But now we can work together on different terms, and I think that will lead to much more success.
TBJ: Can you discuss the economic impact of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) programs in our area?
MV: Since 1984, the Toledo Area Chamber has operated the Small Business Development Center, which is a partnership with the Ohio Department of Development and the US Small Business Administration. The SBDC provides counseling, marketing advice, business plan development, financial plan development – taking people from the concept phase all the way to and beyond the point where they need to meet a banker or investor.
The basic SBDC programs are free to the client because of the funding we receive from the State and the SBA, however less than one-third of the operating funds for all of the SBDC programs we provide comes from outside sources; the majority comes out of the Chamber’s budget. In addition, if we’re successful in helping someone start a business, we provide them a complimentary one-year membership so they can access our benefit programs to keep them going and to get them networked into the community.
TBJ: Please discuss the additions of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and the Minority Contractors Business Assistance Program (MCBAP) into the SBDC.
MV: We recently added the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which assists business in securing contracts with the government, whether it’s local, state, or federal. We help people sort through the Federal Register and do searches to help them connect with government agencies, do the paperwork the correct way, and make sure they can fulfill the obligation should they receive a contract.
Since operating the PTAC we’ve really ramped up its effectiveness. During the first three quarters of 2005, the PTAC has assisted clients in securing over $7.5 million in government contracts – and our year has not ended yet. This is in comparison with just under $2 million over the last two years.
This year we were also awarded a program called the Minority Contractors Business Assistance Program (MCBAP). The MCBAP program provides counseling, training, business development, strategic management, and technical assistance for the minority, socially or economically disadvantaged business community. The MCBAP program also works very closely with The University of Toledo’s DBE Capacity Building program, which provides formal training for minority contractors while the MCBAP provides the technical assistance for those that request it. We also have partnerships with the Associated General Contractors, the Northwest Ohio Black Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Arab-American Chamber of Commerce. This partnership works very well in providing needed services.
Over the years we have grown the basic SBDC program to also include an International Trade Assistance Center (ITAC) and the Third Frontier Internship program. We’re also looking to bring on-line a program to help woman-owned businesses obtain certification. And we’re not just for start-ups; we also have programs and activities for people who have an established business but need help or want to plan their growth. In essence, we are building a total entrepreneur support system for the region.
Our professional staff all hold the Certified Business Analyst certification from the State of Ohio and all have been business owners or managers so they possess the knowledge and skills necessary to provide direction and support to our clients.
TBJ: What is the number one thing that you personally would like to accomplish?
MV: I just want to see this business community succeed. I want to see the community grow and people employed. Too often, we seem to lose sight of the fact that businesses are the job provider and supply resources that help build our quality of life. People enjoy going to see a concert in the park, the symphony, the zoo. The business community contributes significant dollars to the nonprofit community. If businesses are not strong, those things that people enjoy will fade.
I also would like to see a change in attitude of the community to be more accepting, understanding, and supportive of the business community. If we can help our existing business grow and prosper, and create a climate encouraging other businesses to locate here, everyone will benefit – jobs, tax base, the arts, social services.