Small Business Development Center at UW-Green Bay Turns it into Overdrive

UW-Green Bay responsiveness helped the local Center serve more clients than any in the state of Wisconsin.

When local small businesses and entrepreneurs needed help navigating the pandemic, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of UW-Green Bay answered the call—literally—serving remotely, 591 distinct businesses with disaster consultation since March 15… the most of any state center (Madison was second with 163 businesses served).

Wisconsin SBDCs have been the “go to” for the EIDL and PPP opportunities for small businesses. During the start of the pandemic, UW-Green Bay transferred three people from the Continuing Education and Community Engagement Staff to temporarily  the SBDC staff to help manage the overwhelming workload.

“Our center has provided triage counseling to more businesses in three weeks, than we typically do in a year,” said director Tara Carr. “I am so very thankful for the support and commitment the University has taken to assist the SBDC in the recovery efforts with small businesses in our 12-county region. Once the administration was aware of the overwhelming workload the SBDC was experiencing, with no hesitation and within hours, additional temporary staff were assigned to the department. As I reflect on the timeline, these changes were made on a Saturday and the temporary staff began that Monday! Words cannot describe my gratitude and sense of pride to be a part of the UW-Green Bay family.”

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UW-Green Bay was proactive in its response to the COVID- 19 crisis. As a result, the Small Business Development Center at UW- Green Bay temporarily closed the center doors on March 11. The staff has been working at home since March 12 and continue to serve clients by phone, email, and virtual meetings.