East Colorado SBDC in Greeley exceeds several mid-year goals

GREELEY — The East Colorado Small Business Development Center has exceeded its six-month goals for the number of jobs created by its clientele, educational event attendance, hours spent consulting with clients and the amount of capital infusion those companies have received, according to a mid-year report sent to the organization’s stakeholders.

The Greeley-based organization helped create 130 jobs during the first six months of the year, five more than its goal. Its 419 clients received capital infusion — mostly loans — totaling $15.1 million during the period, more than double the six-month goal of $7 million.

Richard Pickett, executive director of the East Colorado SBDC, said the amount of capital infusion “could be an all-time high for this year because there are six months to go.” The organization’s clients received $17.6 million in capital infusion in 2012, the most in one year to date. Educational events have been attended by 539 people through six months, eclipsing the six-month goal of 450, and close to the all-time high of 562 set in 2012.

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Pickett said the number of hours spent on consulting with clients is on track to beat last year’s record of 3,753 hours.

“This is significant because the average time spent with clients so far this year is 6.9 hours, which at this point in the year is amazing and likely to set a new high with average per clients,” Pickett said. He pointed out that more than 85 percent of the money provided to the center is invested in consulting hours. The remaining amount pays for mileage and supplies for the center.

The East Colorado SBDC offers services through 27 satellite offices outside of Greeley in Weld, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips Morgan, Washington, Yuma, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, and parts of Adams and Arapahoe counties.