FSBDC at UCF, University of Central Florida, Small Business Assistance

Small Business Development Center Expands Its Services in St. Cloud

No-Cost Business Assistance from Expert Consultants Available through Florida SBDC at UCF

Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida

January 29, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

Orlando, FL – No-cost business consulting and business training and webinars are now available in the City of St. Cloud from the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF). Thanks to new funding by the City, the FSBDC will now offer office hours at St. Cloud City Hall on SBDC Thursday in St. Cloud during which FSBDC consultants will be available to meet with and advise local entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them grow and succeed.

Service to the St. Cloud business community from the FSBDC on SBDC Thursday in St. Cloud will be led by consultant Maria Cevallos. With over 15 years of experience on Wall Street, Maria has expertise in strategic advisory, business development, fundraising, go-to-market strategy, artificial intelligence, business process redesign, and executive mentoring. She has worked with a diverse range of clients, bringing a forward-thinking approach to help businesses navigate complex challenges and achieve sustainable growth. Her ability to design and implement tailored strategies makes her an invaluable partner for clients seeking transformational growth and results-driven solutions. She can be reached at maria.cevallos@ucf.edu or 407-847-4311.

“Small businesses are key drivers of St. Cloud’s economy,” said Veronica Miller, the City Manager for the City of St. Cloud. “Our new partnership with the SBDC demonstrates its dedication to supporting the entrepreneurs and small businesses in our community and fostering its positive economic growth.”

“We are excited and pleased to offer our valuable services to the business community in St. Cloud through this new office,” said Eunice Choi, Regional Director of the FSBDC at UCF. “Helping entrepreneurs and small businesses start, grow and thrive is our mission and we are eager to be delivering on it in St. Cloud.”

For more information about the FSBDC at UCF, now in St. Cloud, or to request consulting or other services, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.

— FSBDC —

About the Florida SBDC at UCF

Hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF), and 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 part of UCF’s Office of the President and the Florida SBDC Network.

The Florida SBDC at UCF provides aspiring and existing small businesses with no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and access to business data and research resources. In addition to its core service offering, the Florida SBDC at UCF also offers specialized services to qualifying companies, including capital access, market growth, government contracting, international trade, business continuation, cybersecurity, disaster planning and recovery, and more. The FSBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains 9 service centers across Central Florida.

In 2023, the FSBDC at UCF served more than 2,800 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 10,100 jobs created, retained or saved; $743.5 million in sales growth; $59.2 million in capital formation; $122.5 million in government contract awards; and 164 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com .

About the Florida SBDC Network

For more than 45 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy.

In 2023, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 111,720 hours of consulting to 14,808 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $346 million in capital, $576 million in government contracting, impacting 19,263 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.9 billion, and creating 1,058 businesses.

With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.

FSBDC at UCF | 3201 E. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32801 | p 407.420.4850 | f 407.420.4862
sbdc@ucf.edu | www.sbdcorlando.com