The Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), announced today that the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been selected as the new host for the Pikes Peak SBDC.
The Pikes Peak SBDC is one of 14 statewide SBDC centers focused on helping Colorado’s small businesses achieve their goals by providing free, confidential consulting and low or no-cost training programs. Host institutions provide these statewide centers with brick and mortar locations from which program staff can serve businesses, as well as other opportunities to build relationships, develop strategic partnerships within communities and secure the match funding required for the Small Business Administration Grant that funds SBDC centers.
“SBDC Centers across the state recognize that small businesses are the backbone of Colorado communities. The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC shares that belief, and we’re pleased they will serve as host and help the Pikes Peak SBDC continue its good work to help small businesses in El Paso and Teller countries thrive,” said Nikki Maloney, Interim State Director for the Colorado SBDC Network and Director of Business Support at OEDIT. “We look forward to supporting this partnership and the good it will bring to the region.”
Statewide, SBDCs are hosted by higher education, city, county or regional government institutions. The Pikes Peak SBDC was previously hosted by El Paso County. The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC was selected as the new host after the state’s lead SBDC, housed within OEDIT, hosted a formal request for applications.
“Supporting businesses of all sizes is at the crux of what we do and we are excited to amplify the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center’s expertise to best serve small businesses in the Pikes Peak region. The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC looks forward to championing the SBDC and its resources to benefit small businesses in Teller County and El Paso County, a big win in the spirit of regionalism,” said Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president & CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC.
“We are proud to have hosted the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center at El Paso County for the past several years. This has been a great opportunity for us to build collaborative programming between our internal economic development efforts and the local and state SBDC network and assist small businesses in our community. SBDC programming makes positive impacts on our local economy, and we are committed to continuing our collaborative work together. We are excited to amplify regional efforts with the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center ensuring small businesses in our community continue to grow and prosper,” said Crystal LaTier, Executive Director of Economic Development for El Paso County.
The Pikes Peak SBDC is located at the Catalyst Campus for Technology & Innovation. The SBDC is seeking an executive director and the role will be posted on the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and Pikes Peak SBDC websites in the coming days.
El Paso and Teller County small businesses interested in learning more about the services the Pikes Peak SBDC provides can visit https://pikespeaksbdc.org/.