Small Business Development Center

Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Through the Widener Small Business Development Center, you will gain hands-on experience helping businesses start and grow.

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About Us

Our Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is one of 18 small business development centers in Pennsylvania, and is a public/private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and the 18 colleges and universities across the commonwealth that host the centers.

Since opening in 2007, Widener SBDC has provided one-on-one consulting services and educational programs and seminars to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Widener SBDC is home to three major economic development programs in the eastern Pennsylvania region:

  • Procurement Technical Assistance Program, funded by the United States Defense Logistics Agency
  • Small Business Environmental Management Assistance Program, funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
  • Small Business Development Center program, funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration

On a daily basis, consultants and Widener students assist businesses to start, grow, and prosper through business consulting, cost control, profit maximization, education, research, market intelligence, government procurement, and international trade consulting.

Hands-On Student Experience 

SBDC partners with the School of Business Administration to offer you — both undergraduate and graduate students — the opportunity to gain real-world business experience by working with their clients who are looking to start or grow their small business. Whether through class collaborations, or by serving as a business consultant, you will work directly with clients and help to run educational programs — gaining invaluable business experience that you can take with you into your professional career.

The SBDC had the greatest impact on my college career and my professional career...  the leadership they taught me, how to thrive professionally has led to why I’m successful today. And the work we were doing everyday was truly having a real impact on someone else’s life. — Billy Morgan '16, '17

Measured. Success.

Named SAP Next-Gen Lab for Design Thinking and Analytics

Read the story

302

clients served

3139

hours of consulting

$13 Million

Clients made $13 million in capital investments.

105

jobs created, added, or retained

SBDC Students at American Wood Design

Helping Small Businesses Succeed

Discover how the Widener Small Business Development Center can help you launch or grow your dreams.

Small Business Development Center

SBDC SAP recognition

Award-Winning Strategies

Our center was designated a Next-Gen Lab for Design Thinking and Analytics by SAP. We became the first SBDC in the country to achieve this designation. And the U.S. Small Business Administration presented us with the 2019 Innovation and Excellence Award for exceeding our goals and in recognition of our practices.

SBDC Programs & Resources for Clients

The SBDC Success Lab is an active, creative, and collaborative space where entrepreneurs engage in mission specific and outcome-driven activities to build and grow their business. Consultants use new tools, new attitudes, and bring new expectations into the Small Business Success Lab, which has been designated a SAP Next-Gen Lab for design thinking and analytics.

The Lab was physically designed to extract the very best results by enhancing client-consultant engagement and by inspiring entrepreneurs to take control of the four dimensions of the room.

Meetings don’t exist; they've been replaced with Strat Chats and active-consulting engagements. Every active-consulting engagement is mission specific, results oriented, and yields actionable takeaways.

The Growth Academy is where established entrepreneurs acquire new skills to innovate and grow. There is no magic bullet for success. Our Design, Test, Learn, and Evolve process will help you grow by doing, not planning. Begin the Process. Get skills. Take a Workshop.

Our clients invested over $20 million in capital to grow their businesses in the last 3 years. Join them by using our services to improve your team, clearly understand customers, create better products and services, and grow your business. SBDC offers a host of educational programs and workshops.

Under the Environmental Management Assistance Program, SBDC partners with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to offer environmental services for small businesses statewide.

Funded by the U.S Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), our mission is to assist businesses learn how to be successful selling to government agencies (federal, state, and local). We provide education and counseling at no cost to our client companies.

There are more than 300 PTAC locations nationwide. Our center serves Delaware County and the Greater Philadelphia area. Widener is member of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) with additional resources.

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