Troy Mayor Jason Reeves has proclaimed March 15 as SBDC Day in Troy in connection with the seventh national observance of the small business support centers nationwide provide.

The Small Business Development Center at Troy University serves a 10-county region in southeastern Alabama and provides expert consultants in business and entrepreneurship to existing businesses and those wanting to start a business.

“Small businesses fuel our small-town economies and it is important that we support business owners in their growth and equip entrepreneurs to successfully launch new business,” said TROY SBDC Director Juliana Bolivar.

“Economic development takes a lot of people and happens on many levels. We want to be sure everyone knows we are here to help them succeed,” she said.

Last year, TROY’s SBDC contributed to the start up of 28 new businesses and provided one-on-one assistance to 206 clients, of which 66 percent were women-owned businesses, 21 percent veteran-owned, 13 percent minority-owned and 57 percent rural. Over the past five years, the Center has allowed more than $23 million in growth capital to be accessed by local businesses.

TROY SBDC is one of several in the Alabama SBDC network, which began in providing services to the state’s small business community in 1980. While some special classes or seminars sponsored by the Center may require a small fee for attendance, consultation in all areas of business development are free of charge to clients.

TROY SBDC is located in the Troy University IDEA Bank on the Square in downtown Troy. Learn more online, or by calling the Center at 334-808-6793.