ScreenWorks USA, FSBDC, Business Consulting

ScreenWorks USA

For a small to medium-sized business, growth can be as much of a challenge as a revenue decline. And managing rapid growth was the problem, albeit a good problem, confronting Screenworks USA, a multi-million dollar screen printing, embroidery and dye sublimation business that supplies theme parks and other entertainment companies with customized apparel (t-shirts) and other wearables.

Co-owners Sharad Mehta, President and Brian DiZavala, Executive Vice President and COO wanted to be certain they were steering Screenworks and its growing business in the right direction. Based upon very positive past experiences Mehta had had with the Florida SBDC at UCF and its Advisory Board Council program, the company applied for and was approved for another  Advisory Board Council.

The Florida SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council (ABC) is an economic development program that creates a no-cost professional advisory service for local companies. By acting as a matchmaker between businesses and volunteer advisors, all of whom are professionals in the community, the Advisory Board Council program acts to provide companies with business expertise that can directly address the company’s issues and that would otherwise be cost prohibitive and unavailable to a small to medium- sized business.  And the contribution that Advisory Board Council assistance can make covers many sides of a business including operations, marketing, financial management, cost reduction, leadership development and succession planning, among others.

Mehta and DiZavala worked with Advisory Board Council Program Manager Jill Kaufman, who hand-picked a team of board members to address the company’s needs and manage their growth. Experts in corporate finance, operations and marketing, comprised Screenworks’ board of advisors. The Board met with Mehta and DiZavala quarterly for review and counseling on a variety of issues, including operations and growth management strategies.

Over the course of the board’s tenure, Mehta and DiZavala made some important decisions about how they wanted to grow their business going forward and took some strategic options they were considering off the table. “We had very experienced people on our board. We made sure we were well prepared for each meeting and had a clear picture of our company’s direction and our financial performance,” Mehta said. “As a result, over time a strategy for the company’s growth became clear.”

According to Mehta and DiZavala, the assistance of their Advisory Board Council has paid handsome dividends for Screenworks. “Our success has come as a result of some of the efforts of our Advisory Board and has helped us not only quadruple our sales but also increase our employee base by about 100 and build our building,” remarked DiZavala.

“I do not think any business which is growing should be without an Advisory Board Council,” commented Mehta. “Every business can benefit from using not only the services of the FSBDC but also an Advisory Board Council.  I wouldn’t want to be a company without an ABC.  And I recommend every business in Central Florida avail themselves of all the resources that the FSBDC offers.”

Caskey's Mower Shop, Gravely, eXmark, Stihl, Dixie Chopper

Caskey’s Lawn and Garden Center

Business owners have many choices when it comes to growing their company. Among the many available options, they can choose sales and marketing initiatives, adding to their product or service line or even strategic partnerships. For Jason West, owner of JWO Land Management Inc., the choices were few; results from the marketing of his lawn care business seemed to have plateaued, he had extended his line of services as far as he could and he didn’t see strategic partnership opportunities that would materially contribute to growing his business.

What to do? In Jason’s case, he decided that diversification of his business beyond lawn care was his best route to growing his company. And, as luck would have it, an opportunity arose for him to acquire a lawn and landscape equipment dealership and repair facility, Caskey’s Mower and Garden. It had all the elements he was looking for: a business in his industry that is an established Lake County company which is both profitable and has a strong reputation locally. Now Jason’s challenge was to find the financial resources to buy the business.

“When I decided I wanted to get into this new business, I wanted to make sure I did it right, “Jason says. To do that, he went to the Florida SBDC at UCF’s Lake County office to understand the steps necessary to purchase the business and get the assistance he needed to make the right decisions in this purchase. At the FSBDC, Jason enrolled in several workshops and connected with Stan Austin, an FSBDC consultant and the area manager. He helped Jason get his arms around the financial side of the business, prepare a business plan and approach lenders with the best application possible.

“It was amazing. Stan was a lifesaver. He spent countless hours guiding me through the purchase process, helping me pull together the necessary financial information and then establish the decision criteria for making the purchase or not,” commented Jason. “And once I made the decision, Stan was there to help me obtain the financing I needed to close the transaction.”

Today, JWO Land Management Inc. is a thriving lawn and landscape service business with a full service equipment dealership and repair facility for all makes and models of small engines. He has two separate sources of revenue that compliment themselves in good markets and bad. And he has his consultant Stan Austin and the FSBDC behind him for future support and consultation.

“The FSBDC is probably one of the best kept secrets in Lake County,” says Jason. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be standing here. My whole experience with them has been excellent. Anyone who owns a business is crazy not to take advantage of what they offer. Almost anything you can think of, they can help you with – all at no charge!”

Pauline Davis, Michele Daniele, All Star Property Services, Small Business, Consulting

AllStar Property Services

For Michele Daniele, CEO of AllStar Property Services, it was a time to rebuild her business. From its founding in 1999, AllStar had been a successful, full-service commercial property maintenance company serving Central Florida. Its services included power sweeping, porter services, pressure washing and window cleaning – all of the services a commercial property owner needs to keep their buildings and grounds in top shape.

In 2006, however, Michele was mobilized and served her country in the military until 2012. When her deployment was over, she returned home a service-disabled veteran, only to find that her company had suffered during her tour of duty. Between her absence and the downturn in the economy, the business had withered. Her time away left her feeling an immense disconnect from it. Michele knew she had to do something and she knew she needed help.

And so she went to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs looking for assistance. They referred her to the U.S. Small Business Administration who in turn referred her to the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (SBDC at UCF). There she found the help she was looking for.

“The FSBDC helped me tremendously. They helped me make a fresh start. I went back to the basics and enrolled in their New Venture (now Business Fundamentals) Seminar Series which gave me a new perspective on my business,” said Daniele. “And they opened my eyes to important steps I needed to take to get AllStar growing again, especially the value in writing a business plan.”

After producing a draft of her plan, Daniele began working with FSBDC consultant Pauline Davis to bring it to completion. “With Pauline’s assistance, I was able to understand how to grow my business,” commented Daniele. “The business plan allowed me to see the future of my company.”

The work with the FSBDC has paid off. Since beginning with them, AllStar has grown significantly. It now has 12 employees, more than 130 contacts and sales have tripled. “I wasn’t sure if I could succeed or not when I restarted my business,” Michele says today. “But the FSBDC guided me and influenced me, and helped me find the way forward. I can truly say ‘Thank You” to them for giving me the advice I needed to build my business to where it is today and the encouragement to take my business where I want to go.”

As Michele looks ahead, she is excited about the opportunities she sees in diversifying her customer base to include selling the company’s services to the government, another place the FSBDC can help. “I have come to understand the value of government certifications from the FSBDC and the programs and seminars they offer to help me find and win government contracts,” said Michele.

“Don’t hesitate. Go for it,” Michele said when asked what advice she’d give entrepreneurs about the FSBDC. “They have the ability to grow your business to your highest expectations.”

 

 

Sandra Saft, Sandi Saft, Window Interiors

Window Interiors

When buildings are constructed today, there is heavy emphasis on energy efficiency, both to lower costs and be as green as possible. Beyond architectural design and glass treatments, one of the most important tools to strengthen or improve a structure’s energy efficiency is the use of shade systems. At the same time, window shade systems can add important interior design elements that make a space more visually appealing. We may not realize it, but window shade systems are an important part of creating beautiful interiors and energy efficient buildings.

The entrepreneur in Sandi Saft, founder and President of Windows Interiors, saw the opportunity in window shade systems. And she found the Florida SBDC at UCF to help her realize her vision. Fast forward to today and Sandi and her team have built an impressive company and been named Small Business Person of the Year for North Florida, in recognition of her business accomplishments, strength under adversity and contributions to the community.

It was more than 25 years ago that Sandi started her company and she began by taking advantage of the FSBDC’s new business seminars to build and expand her business knowledge and perspective.  With that support, she founded Windows Interiors and, with her team at the company behind her, has built a highly successful company.

Window Interiors is a sub-contractor that provides attractive and energy efficient window covering systems. The company works with general contractors, health care systems, national restaurant groups and building management companies. The company has contributed to the beauty and efficiency of a broad range of buildings, including Florida Hospital’s Ginsberg Wing, the Amway Center and, very recently, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, among others.

Sandi is the first to say she hasn’t done it alone. She credits the Window Interiors team for much of what has been accomplished. She is also vocal in her appreciation of Pauline Davis, her consultant at the FSBDC at UCF, who has assisted with focused, one-on-one consulting. “The FSBDC has been very, very helpful. I have been able to rely on its resources and Pauline’s counsel, whether it be about budgeting, human resources or managing growth,” Sandi says. “You don’t need to be a start-up to benefit from their help. The FSBDC has an accumulation of knowledge and experience that every business can call on and benefit from, all at little or no cost.”

And the business results at Window Interiors supports Sandi’s enthusiasm. The company stayed the course through the Great Recession, retaining its employees in the face of the downturn. Today the company is in hiring mode with the largest sales pipeline in the company’s history and a long list of bid requests awaiting a response.

“The award of Small Business Person of the Year is a real honor for me, and for the whole team here at Window Interiors,” Sandi commented. “I would say to any entrepreneur or business owner out there: Go for it! The FSBDC will make sure you are going in the right direction and will provide the help you need.”

Doug Worswick, Certified Slings

Certified Slings & Supply

Doug Worswick, CEO of Certified Slings, Inc., had a balancing act to do: survive the “great recession” of 2009 while continuing the tradition and legacy from Doug’s Dad by applying his simple philosophy: “Be humble, take care of your team. Your team will take care of our customers and everything else will take care of itself.” Doug was determined to continue to provide quality service and the highest quality products with the team of employees who had helped him build the company.

Certified Slings is a distributor and manufacturer of slings, rigging, overhead lifting, load securement and contractor supplies. In all cases, safety is the highest priority. It counts as its customers the construction, mining, power utilities and theme park industries, as well as the U.S. military.

As he watched many of customers, competitors and partners go out of business during the recession, Doug jumped into action and looked for ways to weather the storm. By doing so, he found and was able to take advantage of the many resources available to businesses in Central Florida, including from the Florida SBDC at UCF.

Although the company had some success internationally, in 2009 Doug went on the offensive and began aggressively pursuing export sales. Despite the perceived risks presented by international markets, Doug invested in the export opportunity and hired a Director of International Sales. The company targeted Latin America and the Caribbean markets and, by uncovering opportunities, building relationships and establishing its brand, it generated positive momentum.

Momentum wasn’t enough for Doug, however, and in 2012 he turned to the FSBDC at UCF to help achieve even greater export success. The FSBDC, with support from Enterprise Florida, produced a customized Export Marketing Plan for Certified Slings that identified new markets, recommended marketing strategies and facilitated in-country contacts.

With the Export Marketing Plan in hand, Certified Slings had a game plan. Doug chose to expand his international team and focused them on effective market entry strategies based on the needs and characteristics of each market and each customer. Doug sought assistance from his FSBDC international trade consultant who, as Doug says, “guided them down the path.”

Today, Certified Slings has seen a 100% increase in its international business and has a strong foundation for the future. It has 110 team members providing quality service and quality products. And, on the strength of his leadership, business success and team-centered philosophy, Doug has been named Small Business Exporter of the Year for the North Florida District, State of Florida and Southeastern United States (Region iv) by the Small Business Administration.

When asked how the FSBDC has helped him, Doug said, “The FSBDC has been great from Day One. The Export Marketing Plan set the standard and now, as the journey continues, every time we have a question or hit a roadblock, they are there for us. The have been helpful, responsive and provided the resources we need. They have been just a tremendous support.”

Carol Craig, Craig Technologies

Craig Technologies

Carol Craig has done it all. And she has only just begun. But for now, based upon her leadership, business success and service to the community, she has been named the SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Florida and is a finalist for the SBA’s highly-regarded national Small Business Person of the Year award.

Carol is CEO of Craig Technologies, an engineering, technology and manufacturing business that she founded in 1999 and has built it to approximately 430 employees and $40 million in revenues. She is or has been on the boards of at least 27 different community and/or charitable institutions. She chose to relocate and expand her business in the City of Cape Canaveral, partly to tap into the highly talented workforce living on the Space Coast but also, and more importantly, as a means to spur economic development in her community that was so negatively affected by the end of the Shuttle program. And she is a wife and mom, deeply involved in her family and raising her children.

Initially, Craig Technologies was a high-end engineering and technical services company serving military and commercial customers. Over the past 15 years, as the company’s reputation for delivering high-quality products and exceptional customer service has grown, Carol has reinvested profits that enabled the company to add product lines and divisions – all based on Craig Technologies’ ability to support projects from concept to real world application with end-users in mind. To help her along, over this period Carol attended seminars, participated in events and received government contracting consulting from the FSBDC at UCF’s sub center at Eastern Florida State College.

It was during this time that Craig Technologies partnered with the Florida SBDC at UCF, supported by Enterprise Florida, to develop an international marketing strategy. Working with Jill McLaughlin, the FSBDC’s International Trade Consultant, the company took advantage of what Carol calls a “great opportunity” to develop an Export Marketing Plan. The Plan targeted foreign markets for Craig, recommended market entry strategies and opportunities for identifying trading partners. “The plan gives a really good basis and foundation for our global push,” Carol says. “We can now go to the international markets with confidence and be far more competitive.”

When asked about her experience with FSBDC, Carol states, “I would tell other business owners to take advantage of the SBDC now, even if you think you don’t have the time. It’s important. They have great programs and will shorten the amount of time it takes to succeed.”

As for her award, Carol concluded by saying, “I am extremely honored to be recognized as the Florida Small Business Person of the Year, not only personally and for my company, but also because it highlights that Brevard County is significant, we are growing and we have new and great things going on here.”

Paul Holmes of JK2 Construction and Scenic

JK2 Construction and Scenic

At the height of the recession, Paul Holmes had a choice to make about his construction company: sit by and ride out the downturn or use the time to move his business forward. He chose to move his business forward.

JK2 Construction & Scenic describes themselves as “One Company. Two Divisions.”  The Construction Division of the company was founded 27 years ago and is a classic general contracting, design-build, and construction management company serving commercial clients, residential and time share developments, and the theme park industry. Five years ago the Scenic Division was launched to expand the construction services by self-performing themed and specialty items.  The Scenic Division specializes in architectural millwork, custom props/specialty items, and scenic/theme painting for the Construction Division as well as serving clients in the retail, theme park, entertainment, hospitality, and restaurant industries.

Prior to the great recession Paul, like many entrepreneurs, believed he was too busy to seek outside resources to assist him. When the economy put the construction industry into a decline and he had some available time, he took the opportunity to look around and find out if there were services available to help him focus “on” the business and the best strategies for growth rather than simply working “in” the business and managing its day-to-day operations.

That’s when Paul found the Florida SBDC at UCF and its CEO XChange, a facilitated peer-to-peer executive roundtable program serving business leaders and owners that offers a confidential setting to discuss the challenges, threats and opportunities they face as managers and leaders. “The CEO XChange has been and still is a great experience,“ Paul says. “It enables a group of chief executives to collaborate and work through the issues we all face as small and medium-sized businesses.”

CEO XChange was just the beginning of the services offered by the FSBDC that Paul took advantage of. He went on to enroll in its Small Business Institute® (SBI®) which connect FSBDC clients with the resources and management expertise of UCF’s College of Business Administration. In the program, a team of students, supervised by UCF faculty, provide management consulting services tailored to the needs of the client. In Paul’s case, the UCF students analyzed JK2’s business and came back with recommendations on business strategy and ways to improve its marketing effort.

Paul followed up on the SBI® program by having the FSBDC put together an advisory board through the Advisory Board Council (ABC), a no-cost board of experts providing advice and council to help businesses grow.  It acts as a matchmaker between established businesses and area professionals who volunteer their expertise as members of an advisory board, with the volunteers selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client. “The ABC has been a great asset for us,” commented Paul. “They have helped us determine the right moves and the right ways to expand our business, and at the same time have challenged us to exceed our goals.”

“We’ve had great success by taking advantage of the FSBDC’s CEO XChange, SBI® and Advisory Board Council.  Our business results have been phenomenal; we’ve doubled our revenues, our Scenic Division facilities and our work force, and are on plan to achieve another year of 20% growth” Paul states. “I would highly encourage any entrepreneur to seek the services of the FSBDC. I only wish I had sought their services much earlier in the company’s development. They have consistently helped us make those tough-to-make decisions that every entrepreneur faces. The FSBDC at UCF is an outstanding resource to have and depend on.”

Bennett Law Center, FSBDC - Lake County, Stan Austin

Bennett Law Center

For the first three years, practicing law meant a full plate for attorney Bridgette M. Bennett of the Bennett Law Center. Between launching her immigration practice and representing more and more clients, she didn’t have time for much else. She had a nagging feeling, however, that she could be doing more to strengthen the foundation of her firm and manage its growth more effectively. It was then that Bridgette turned to the Florida SBDC at UCF’s office in Lake County. She’d heard FSBDC offered seminars that could help her answer her many business questions. And she found she had the opportunity to have a no-cost, expert business consultant from the FSBDC dedicating their knowledge and experience to guiding her and her business. Without a business background of her own, the FSBDC represented an opportunity to get, as she says, “real information and real life experience in a highly digestible way.”

And so it began in April, 2014. Bridgette attended the FSBDC’s New Venture seminar series and took classes in marketing, finance, business plan writing and more. She connected with Stan Austin, an FSBDC consultant and the Area Manager for Lake County. Together, they began an evaluation of Bennett Law Center’s current situation and the goals Bridgette had for it. She quickly came to understand “You don’t know what you don’t know,” as they say. She found no question or idea was too big or too small for the FSBDC, whether it be about human resources issues or finalizing her business plan. She enjoyed the benefits of consulting tailored to her situation which helped get her plans in focus and her actions better targeted at her long term goals.

In the short term, up first was Bridgette’s desire to refinance her mortgage on the building that housed her firm and move from a private mortgage to a commercial financing, as well as having the ability to use some of the loan proceeds to increase her working capital. However, she was afraid her credit score and the value of the property might keep her from obtaining a loan.

After Bridgette put together an initial loan application package for presentation to the lenders, she brought it to the FSBDC for review. There Stan Austin provided suggestions and answered her questions, enabling Bridgette to complete the loan application and present it to the lender. After the usual back and forth with them, with Stan at her side throughout, her application was approved and Bridgette received her $250,000 SBA-guaranteed loan, with a healthy piece for working capital.

“I’m very grateful for the assistance of the FSBDC,” Bridgette commented. “They were an invaluable resource in helping me get my business into a much stronger position. For all of you business owners out there, I say ‘Just do it; it’s a no brainer,’” Bridgette went on. “The Florida SBDC at UCF will take you through the process, help you meet your business challenges and become your accountability partner for achieving success.”

SBDC Lake County, Polyglot

Polyglot Analytics, LLC

Keith Breedlove and his wife Cheryl had both recently retired from government service and they had an idea. They felt that, with their backgrounds, they would be able to operate a successful consulting and training business.  Keith Breedlove has an M.S. degree in Information Systems and Systems Management from the University of Southern California. After serving as a Major in the U.S. Army for 23 years specializing in electronic warfare/signals intelligence, he has served as a senior systems engineer for several major defense contracting companies  including Booz Allen Hamilton, Boeing and Northrup Grumman. Cheryl Breedlove was also retired, in her case from the Central Intelligence Agency, with extensive management experience  that they believe would enhance their consulting business.

The Breedlove’s had a clear vison of what their company  would be about. Their targeted market would be small and mid-sized businesses that want to more effectively use their business data to grow their revenues. The Breedloves’ company would provide these target organizations- U.S. and international private, commercial,  non-profit and governmental clients -with business intelligence, information analytics and business analysis consulting.

Beyond directly serving their own clients, the Breedloves also have an opportunity to serve as a sub­ contractor with a consulting firm located in Marietta, Georgia and have recently been invited to join a consortium of small firms doing marketing and business development with the Department of Defense in Tampa, Florida. And Mr. Breedlove also has the unique ability to deliver training and consulting in English, German, French and Russian, which he believes will give his company many exclusive opportunities.

With this as the backdrop, the Breedloves came to the Florida SBDC at UCF office in Southern Lake County, Florida to talk about their business idea with Dr. Dallas Garrett, the FSBDC consultant in South Lake County. Together with Dr. Garrett, they worked diligently and completed their business plan with a projected start date for their company of July 1, 2014. Their company, Polyglot Analytics LLC, is a home­ based business with very little overhead and within the first few months Mr. Breedlove attended several different training sessions and had the opportunity to deliver on two small development contracts to get his business started. They are currently working on a website and have been attending local Chamber events to develop local and regional contacts. And the company is at this time preparing a proposal on a major software development  effort that would bring them a very large contract. Additionally, Mr. Breedlove is exploring business intelligence opportunities with a network of contacts in Burkina Faso, Africa.

“For anyone considering  or already in the process of starting their first business I highly recommend  the Florida SBDC,” commented Mr. Breedlove.  “While I had a vision of what I wanted to do, the SBDC consultant, Dr. Dallas Garrett, really helped my focus on the business, assisting with development of a coherent business plan and a realistic financial plan to support it.  He has also been instrumental in helping me develop local contacts, especially through the local Chamber of Commerce. My wife and I will also be taking advantage of relevant training courses offered through SBDC, especially those related to business taxes, whiPch is undiscovered territory for us.”

 

All Clean Pressure Washing, Business Consulting

All Clean Pressure Washing

Like many entrepreneurs, William Scott Dau had a business idea but didn’t know the best way to turn that idea into a reality or where to turn for assistance to make his dream come true.

Mr. Dau is a retired Maryland Park Police Captain that enjoys pressure washing homes, garages anddriveways for his own home and several of his neighbors. His idea and plan was to start a business doing pressure washing jobs within a very close distance from his home in Clermont Florida.

That’s when Mr. Dau made a great first decision: he came to the Florida SBDC at UCF in South Lake County with his business idea and asked for help with a business plan. The FSBDC worked through the business plan process with him, and he shared that he had several children that would be entering college soon and that he was going to build a saving account for them with his new business.

Mr. Dau and FSBDC worked through all of the details of starting a business with him and helped him establish a limited liability company, All Clean Pressure Washing, LLC; determine the necessary local city and county business licenses; and evaluate and obtain liability insurance. Investing his own funds, he was able to purchase all of his equipment and supplies and, upon completing his business plan,  he started advertising in a church publication and local newspapers. He also began attending local chamber events. Almost immediately, he was contacted for a job that was too big for his small company. Mr. Dau had fun reviewing the offer with the FSBDC and considering the fact that he would probably  need to develop a new business plan to handle a multi-year opportunity!

“As I went to obtain information about setting up a business, I found information about the Florida SBDC at the City Hall in Groveland, Florida,” commented Mr. Dau. “I made an appointment with Dr. Dallas Garrett for counseling and assistance. He shared his personal experience with me and guided me through the entire process. Today I am averaging three jobs per week, which is exactly my goal. I am pleased to have met Dr. Garrett and I highly recommend that anyone planning to open a business make an appointment with the FSBDC,” he concluded.

“William Dau maintains contact with our office on a monthly basis and provides me with a financial update each month,” said Dr. Garrett. “He has also sent us several new clients, already has a new business idea and is now working with me on a prototype for a new window screen idea for homes.  Thanks to the right first decision – coming in to see the FSBDC at UCF – he is really on his way!”