Anthony Ruben Named Volunteer of the Year By Florida SBDC Network

Small Business Development Center at UCF
August 7, 2012

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

Orlando, FL – At its recent Annual Professional Development Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network (FSBDCN) recognized and thanked Anthony (Tony) Ruben for his contributions above the norm to the success of the FSBDC’s mission to help business start, grow and succeed, create positive economic impact, and provide value to its stakeholders. Based upon his nomination by the Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (SBDC at UCF), he was named as the state-wide Florida Volunteer of the Year for his long-time service as a volunteer advisor with the SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council (ABC) program.

The SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council program is a next-level, business support service, assisting established Orange County businesses by matching them with experienced business professionals with a diverse range of skills who work together on a “custom-fit” advisory board. It is an economic development program that operates within the Small Business Development Center at UCF and is funded by Orange County Government. The program acts as a matchmaker between businesses and volunteer advisors, all of whom are professionals in the community. The program’s purpose is to positively impact Orange County businesses through revenue growth and job creation.. Businesses also benefit from improved operations, marketing, financial management, reduced costs, leadership development and succession planning. Through the Advisory Board Council, clients gain the knowledge required to drive their business further. An Advisory Board is a powerful management tool that no business should be without. It provides dynamic talent and expertise at no-cost – helping businesses solve problems and create opportunities.

Mr. Ruben is the Managing Director of Inflection Point Consulting in Orlando. He has been a volunteer advisor with the SBDC at UCF’s ABC program since 2004 and has served on the boards of seven companies since joining the ABC, donating more than 80 hours of professional board service. Ruben has advised ABC clients on a wide variety of issues including acquisitions, pricing strategy, commission structure, margin improvement, cash flow projections and more. His long, broad and deep service with the ABC exemplifies the performance excellence that is the core criteria for being honored as the FSBDCN’s Volunteer of the Year.

“We are extremely proud that Tony Ruben has been recognized as the Florida SBDC Network’s Volunteer of the Year,” said Eunice Choi, Regional Director of the SBDC at UCF. “His years of dedicated service on multiple Advisory Board’s have helped many Central Florida entrepreneurs and business owners in myriad ways, all culminating in improvements to those businesses’ health and success.”

“I have always loved the “game” of business,” remarked Mr. Ruben. “I find the SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Ccouncil program to be a wonderful opportunity to help lead small businesses, who often don’t have the resources to be strong in finance and strategy, to greater success. It is wonderful to be recognized for doing what I love; I am indeed honored to be named Volunteer of the Year by the Florida SBDC Network.”

–UCF–

With its main office in the National Entrepreneur Center (formerly the Disney Entrepreneur Center) now located at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, the Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (SBDC at UCF) is part of the UCF College of Business Administration and the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, providing business seminars and no-cost, one-on-one business consultation to small business owners. The SBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains seven satellite service centers. In 2011, the SBDC at UCF helped entrepreneurs create or retain 1,517 jobs, win contract awards worth $28.9 million, acquire $17.7 million in capital formation, and increase sales by $51.9 million. The SBDC at UCF is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

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