PIONEERING

PARTNERSHIPSWITH YOUR LOCAL SBDC

Greg Bullock, Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation

Nancy Sanders, Maricopa Community Colleges SBDC

#FACT:PARTNERING WITH YOUR LOCAL SMALL

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

(SBDC) CAN AMPLIFY THE LIMITED

RESOURCES OF YOUR ENTREPRENURIAL

PROGRAM(S) TO THE BENEFIT OF BOTH

ORGANIZATIONS

The Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation is a

business incubator located in Phoenix, Arizona.

Our mission:

Job Creation

Our industries:

• Bioscience / Medical Device

• Emerging Technology / Software Development

• Clean Energy / Sustainable Industries

Our program:

• Business Counseling

• Mentors

• Executive-in-Residence

• Student Research Teams

• Collaboration

The Maricopa Community Colleges

SBDC provides advising, training,

online courses and resources for

businesses throughout the Valley.

Our mission:

Economic Impact

Our industries:

We work with businesses in every

industry and at every stage of growth

Our offerings:

• One-on-one advising

• Training workshops

• Online resources

Historically, many incubators simply

house SBDC offices, failing to capitalize

on the specialized skill sets the SBDC

can provide. Out of necessity, a more

robust partnership emerged for CEI and

the AZSBDC (statewide network).

At the time of CEI’s launch:

• Maricopa Community Colleges SBDC

was located in Downtown Phoenix

• CEI needed onsite counseling support

and additional resources for its

incubation program

HOW IT ALL BEGAN…

GateWay Community College President

Dr. Eugene Giovannini offered rent-free

space to relocate the Maricopa

Community Colleges SBDC on campus.

• Maricopa Community Colleges SBDC

gained access to high-tech

entrepreneurs and the entire

Maricopa County Community College

District

No overhead cost / rent savings

Additional economic impact

• CEI gained onsite business

counseling and support for its student

incubation program

HOW IT ALL BEGAN…

OUR PARTNERSHIP

Pre-incubation Process• Screening potential clients

• Selection committee meetings

Seminar Speakers• Helped secure speakers for first (6) months

of Lunch & Learn workshops

• Held SBDC programming at CEI facility

(Profit Mastery, TechEDge, Brown Bag

Workshops)

Promotion of News/Events

General Facility Management• Assistance managing events/seminars

INITIAL SUPPORT

Monthly / Quarterly Meetings• Core of CEI business incubation program

• Strategic guidance enhances growth potential of clients

SBDC Counselor Role:

• Initial benchmark reviews upon acceptance

• Monthly meetings to establish goals and review progress

• Quarterly meetings to assess overall traction

Pre-incubation / Selection Process• Thorough screening protocol (30-90 days)

• Validates business model, coachability, job creation potential

• Improves client retention and accountability

SBDC Counselor Role:

• Provides initial screening of potential clients

• Reviews business plan and other business documents

• Participates in monthly selection committee meetings

Student Research Teams• Liaison between students and client company

• Accountability and reporting for better results

ONSITE COUNSELOR

Education:MBA University of New Mexico

BS Mechanical Engineering University of Michigan

Professional Experience:Founder & President, Optomec, Inc.

Co-Founder & Business Manager, Bonanza Convention, Inc.

Founder & President, EM Optomechanical, Inc.

Co-Founder & Operations Manager,

Bonanza Investments LLC

Expertise:Business Formation

Business Planning

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants

Technology Commercialization & Licensing

Government Contracting

Technology Marketing & Sales

Event Planning

TOM SWANN, BUSINESS ANALYST

MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES SBDC

CEI has gained tremendous progress

since launching in 2012. Currently:

• 18 client companies

• 85 jobs created

• Average salary: $50,000

Tom Swann recorded overall economic

impact in 2013 (SBDC and CEI clients):

• Jobs created/retained: 43

• Capital formation: $6.8 million

• Increased revenue: $1.8 million

CONTINUING GROWTH

Full-service human tissue bank that

develops innovative allografts for

transplant into human recipients

CEI/SBDC Client:

August 2013

Assistance:

Reviewed investor pitch for “Venture Madness”

Assisting with SBIR Grant application

Economic Impact Reported:

$30,000 cash prize from Venture Madness

$1 Million revenue month reported recently

Added 25 new jobs in 2013

FAHRENHEIT LABS

STUDENT INCUBATOR

Fahrenheit Labs is the first and only

business incubation program available to

students of the Maricopa Community

Colleges.

The core services we provide include:

• Physical space

• Business development

• Entrepreneurial education and resources

• Access to partner networks

Launched Fall 2013

MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES SBDC / FAHRENHEIT LABS OPEN HOUSEAUGUST 27, 2013

IT IS A VERY WELL ALIGNED MISSION. WE’RE HERE TO SERVE THE

COMMUNITY AND FOSTER AND PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

DR. MARIA HARPER-MARINICK

EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR & PROVOST

MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES

“ ”

WE’RE HERE TO CREATE JOBS AND GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR THESE STUDENT

ENTREPRENEURS, AND WE COULD NOT DO THAT WITHOUT THE SBDC.

JEFF SAVILLE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL INNOVATION

“ ”

THE SBDC COUNSELORS ARE REALLY HANDS-ON. IT IS SO AMAZING

THAT WE HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY BE ON CAMPUS AND

DEVELOP OUR BUSINESS PLAN IN A STUDENT INCUBATOR.

PRINCESS CARTER

FOUNDER, LIVING ANGELS

FAHRENHEIT LABS STUDENT COMPANY

“ ”

Accepted first two companies in Spring 2014

• Living Angels: nonprofit that provides transitional

housing for homeless and other disadvantaged

individuals.

Dually-enrolled in Seed Spot, a socially-

focused incubator

• Banique Unique Shop: online shop that sells

handcrafted banana artwork images in various

mediums, including jewelry, stationary, posters,

apparel, and more.

Fall 2014: With assistance of new Maricopa

SBDC leadership (Nancy), we will identify new

ways to grow program

EARLY TRACTION

HOW WE MANAGE IT

CEI manages the partnership with:

Monthly / Quarterly Assessments• Tracking goals / benchmarks

• Identifying obstacles

• Job Creation

CEI staff assists in operations, development,

and recruitment efforts for student incubator

Mentor Network• Assistance in vetting new mentors

• Important part of traditional incubation program

• Referral of clients to targeted mentors

“Part of the Team”• Inclusion of counselor during all-staff meetings

• Bio and photo on CEI website

Maricopa Community Colleges SBDC

manages the partnership with:

All incubator clients sign up with SBDC

Economic Impact• Job creation

• Investment

• Revenue

• New businesses created

Accountability and Reporting• Annual and as-needed reporting

of economic impact

• “Wildly Important Goals” and

All-Hands meetings

HOW WE MANAGE IT

THE BIG QUESTION:

WHY?

Elevate both programs

• Higher caliber / impact clients for SBDC

• Broader range of Subject Matter Experts

for incubator clients

Amplify limited resources

• Lean incubator staff

• Programs would not exist without the

partnership

Layers of support for entrepreneurs

• Variety of programming / curriculum

• Support ALL stages of entrepreneurs /

companies

THE BIGGER

QUESTION: HOW?

Learn the skills of SBDC counselors

• May or may not be listed in their bios

• Tom Swann: 3D printing pioneer,

pilot, optics specialist

Understand and respect each other’s

mission, values and objectives

• CEI: Job creation

• Maricopa SBDC: Economic impact

Get all parties involved early in the

conversation

CONTACT US

Nancy SandersDirector

Maricopa Community Colleges SBDC

108 N. 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034

Phone: 480.784.0596

Email: nancy.cruikshank@domail.maricopa.edu

Web: maricopa-sbdc.com

Greg BullockMarketing Specialist

Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation

275 N. GateWay Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034

Phone: 602.286.8958

Email: bullock@ceigateway.com

Web: ceigateway.com