FSBDC, UCF, Business Consulting

Seven Local Companies Team With FSBDC at UCF’s Small Business Institute®

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UCF College of Business Administration Students to Deliver Consulting Projects
Designed to Accelerate Growth of High Potential Companies

September 19, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, SBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or hthayer@bus.ucf.edu

Orlando, FL – The Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) today announced that seven (7) local Central Florida companies had been selected to participate in the Small Business Institute® (SBI®), a program connecting local small businesses to the resources and management expertise of UCF’s College of Business Administration (UCF’s CBA) and the FSBDC at UCF. Part of a nationwide small business program, the local SBI® provides confidential and professional management assistance to small businesses through consulting projects performed by MBA students.

For the fall 2013 semester, students from UCF’s CBA will work in teams conducting business analyses for seven (7) high potential Central Florida companies, including these that applied and were accepted to participate in the award winning Small Business Institute® program.

  • Air Tech of Central Florida, Inc. has earned its reputation for quality workmanship through years of providing excellent air conditioning and heating products, and plumbing services. It is a family owned and operated company familiar with the climate concerns of Central Florida. Their technicians are NATE certified and some of the most qualified people in the business servicing and installing air conditioning equipment. For more information visit www.airtechcfl.com.
  • A.M. Metal Finishing, Inc. is a premier metal finishing supplier with over 29 years of experience. The company is an approved vendor for many of Orlando’s industrial, commercial and aerospace/defense companies including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, NASA, and Walt Disney World Co. An award-winning finishing company A.M. Metal Finishing, Inc. is recognized by the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida as the “Small Manufacturer of the Year” for 2008; and in 2001 for our “Exceptional Growth.” For more information visit www.ammetal.com.
  • Computer Business Consultants, Inc. is an innovative information technology services provider specializing in a comprehensive range of services for businesses both large and small.  The company specializes in IT Managed Services which include monitoring and management of client IT networks, storage, backup, software maintenance, and security.  Founded in 1996, the company has offices in Oakland, Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia, and services clients throughout the world.  For more information visit www.ComputerBusiness.com
  • Diamond Systems is a Veteran Owned and HUBZONE verified distributor of a wide variety of technical equipment for air, clinical, environmental, hazardous, landfill, toxic gas, water applications and safety equipment. For more information visit www.diamondsci.com.
  • Dredging & Marine Consultants, LLC is a multidisciplinary engineering and environmental company that provides services in planning, engineering, environmental assessments, permitting and construction inspection for both upland and waterfront related design projects.  The company has transportation, structural, water resources engineers and environmental staff that specialize in site storm water and drainage, parks, docks, piers marinas, seawalls, boat ramps, shoreline protection and sediment removal options.  The company’s true business and reason for being is to utilize its technical and managerial forte in innovatively and cost-effectively designing and solving engineering and environmental issues that face its clients and share in the joy of knowing that the company has responsibly benefited the public and communities it serves. For more information visit www.dmces.com.
  • Elipsis Engineering & Consulting, LLC is an established engineering and consulting firm serving Central Florida and surrounding areas. The company provides engineering services in the fields of Construction Materials Testing including laboratory testing services, Threshold Inspection, Structural Steel inspections and Drilled Shaft Inspections. Elipsis also provides Project, Contract Management services and Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) services. For more information visit www.elipsisec.com.
  • JCA Solutions is a consulting company, specializing in Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) and e-learning technologies. The company strives to meet the needs of each and every customer on a personal level. . JCA Solutions is process-oriented and prides itself in its attention to detail. The company’s focus is on SCORM and its goal is to create value for its customers by providing consultants to support its client’s courseware development process or provide tools to streamline SCORM conformance. JCA Solutions facilitates greater e-learning content functionality, reusability, accessibility, and easier deployment to clients’ target Learning Management System. For more information visit www.jcasolutions.com.

Under the guidance of their UCF CBA SBI® Program Director Dr. Lloyd Fernald, Professor Emeritus at the UCF College of Business Administration, the student team will oversee and implement extensive research and analysis to determine industry best practices; will meet regularly to understand company processes and procedures; and perform a wide-ranging analysis of business and industry strategies and performance. As a result of their efforts, the students will be able to deliver a comprehensive business examination and provide a short- and long-term strategic analysis and set of recommendations to grow and strengthen the client company.

The SBDC at UCF’s Small Business Institute® program has won many national awards for its high quality projects and innovative program management, including:

  • 2013 – 3rd Prize in Graduate Business Plan Category
  • 2013 – SBI® Showcase Award
  • 2012 – 2nd Place in the Graduate Specialized Category in the 2012 Project of the Year Awards
  • 2010 – 1st Place in Graduate Specialized Category in Project of the Year National Competition

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About the FSBDC at UCF

With its main office in the National Entrepreneur Center located at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is part of the UCF Office of Research & Commercialization and the Florida Small Business Development Center Network (FSBDC Network). THE FSBDC at UCF provides business seminars and no-cost, one-on-one business consultation to emerging and established businesses. The FSBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains 10 service centers across Central Florida.

In 2012, the FSBDC at UCF served almost 6500 entrepreneurs and small business owners through consulting and training, resulting in 9,961 Central Florida jobs created, retained or saved; $1.3 billion in sales growth; $50.4 million in capital formation; $104.6 million in government contract awards; and 108 new businesses started.

About the FSBDC Network

For over 35 years, the FSBDC Network has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development organizations, dedicated to providing emerging and established business owners with management and technical assistance, enabling overall growth and increased profitability for the businesses and economic prosperity for the state. The FSBDC Network is a statewide service system of 41 centers with 60 outreach locations, including the FSBDC at UCF.

In 2012, the Florida SBDCs served approximately 38,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners through consulting and training, resulting in 47,845 jobs created, retained and saved; $6.3 billion in sales growth; $235.2 million in capital accessed; $588.4 million in government contract awards; and 744 new businesses started.

For every $1 of Florida public and private sector investment in the FSBDC program during 2012, $40 was returned to the state in tax revenue.

The FSBDC at UCF and the FSBDC Network are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

FSBDC at UCF | 3201 E. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32801 | p 407.420.4850 | f 407.420.4862

sbdc@bus.ucf.edu | www.sbdcorlando.com