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

Small Business Development Center Returns to City of Palm Coast

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No-cost Business Assistance from Expert Consultant Now Available through Florida SBDC at UCF – Palm Coast

February 21, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

                 Michael Oppenheim, Area Manager, FSBDC at UCF-Palm Coast, 386.320.3313 or michael.oppenheim@ucf.edu   

Orlando, FL – No-cost business consulting; business training and webinars; and access to extensive market research resources are now available again in the City of Palm Coast from the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF). Thanks to renewed funding by the City, the FSBDC returns to Palm Coast after a brief hiatus, having first established an office here in 2011 where it actively supported the local business community through the City’s business assistance center.

Designated as the principal business assistance organization for small businesses in the state, the Florida SBDC Network through regional offices such as the FSBDC at UCF and its satellite offices throughout Central Florida, now including Palm Coast, 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.

“Small businesses form the lifeblood of Palm Coast’s economy,” said Jason DeLorenzo, the Chief of Staff for the City of Palm Coast. “The City Council’s renewed partnership with the SBDC demonstrates its dedication to supporting these enterprises and fostering positive economic growth.”

“We are excited and pleased to once again offer our valuable services to the business community in Palm Coast,” 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 once again be delivering on it in Palm Coast.”

The Florida SBDC at UCF’s office in Palm Coast, through a locally based consultant and area manager, offers a wide range of outstanding services to support entrepreneurs and small business owners in their growth and success. Key services provided by the FSBDC at UCF include:

  • Business Consulting: No-cost, One-on-one, Confidential
  • Business Training: Workshops, Seminars and Training Sessions on topics such as business planning, marketing, financial management and more
  • Access to Capital: Assistance Securing Bank Loans and Other Financing
  • Market Research and Analysis: Help understanding Target Audiences, Competition, Industry Trends
  • Export Assistance: Explore and Expand into International Markets
  • Disaster Recovery Assistance: Disaster Preparedness, Access to Emergency Funding, Business Continuity Planning
  • Networking and Partnerships: Connecting with a Network of Industry Experts, Government Agencies, and Others
  • Specialized Services: Government Contracting, Minority Business Development, Innovation Support

Leading the FSBDC’s new Palm Coast office is longtime Palm Coast resident Michael Oppenheim, a seasoned business executive with over 30+ years of broad and deep experience working in a variety of industries, including most recently for eight years as a consultant for the FSBDC. In addition to his significant business experience, Michael brings extensive knowledge of Palm Coast and Flagler County businesses and their business environment, having assisted multiple local entrepreneurs and business owners with starting businesses, accessing bank loans,  strategic planning and revenue growth. He has been named Area Manager for the Palm Coast office, will be available for office hours at the Palm Coast City Hall, and can be reached at michael.oppenheim@ucf.edu or (386) 320-3313.

For more information about the FSBDC at UCF – Palm Coast or to request consulting, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.

— FSBDC —

About the FSBDC 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 2022, the FSBDC at UCF served more than 2,700 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 10,600 jobs created, retained or saved; $793.9 million in sales growth; $66.7 million in capital formation; $103.8 million in government contract awards; and 160 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 2022, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 117,750 hours of consulting to 14,758 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $446 million in capital, $445 million in government contracting, impacting 23,515 jobs, increasing sales by over $4.5 billion, and creating 825 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