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Boulder Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Boulder Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a fast-paced, hands-on, economic development nonprofit – a public/private partnership.

We support the growth and resiliency of small businesses in Boulder County by providing free business consulting, practical workshops & events and connection to resources, including financing. The SBDC helps all types of small businesses – from startups through 2nd stage, from “Main Street” through highly scalable technology ventures. Some programming in both English and Spanish.

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Participating In:

  • Breakout Sessions
  • Exhibitor Hall
  • One-on-Ones
  • Roundtables

Representatives:

Sharon King, Executive Director

In the past 15 years, Sharon King and Boulder SBDC have worked with over 7,000 entrepreneurs from startups through 2nd stage companies, from “Main Street” retailers through highly scalable manufacturing and advanced industry science & technology ventures. In 2018, Boulder SBDC was named the nation’s best SBDC by U.S. Small Business Administration — the Center of Excellence and Innovation. Sharon leads the Colorado SBDC TechSource: Commercialization Program statewide, as well as the Tech Venture Accelerators (TVX). In 2018 and 2019, Sharon partnered with NASA to produce their national SBIR event (Innovation & Opportunity Conference) in Colorado. Sharon has been an entrepreneur, marketing executive and consultant for small (and larger) businesses in a wide range of industries. She holds an MBA from Cornell University, certification in Technology Commercialization from University of Houston and is nationally-certified by the Edward Lowe Foundation and Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurship.

Rachel Garcia, Assistant Director

Rachel Garcia has worked from small and international business to the nonprofit and government sectors, specializing in program management, community outreach, and customer support. She has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs make connections to start and grow their businesses across several industries, including minority-owned, sustainability, and organic food and supplements. Rachel began working at the Boulder SBDC in 2011 and has returned after five years to become the center’s program manager. She is a board member of the Boulder County Latino Chamber of Commerce, where she continues to foster economic and social development by advocating for Latino entrepreneurs.

Irhad Kozic, Marketing & Events Manager

Irhad Kozic has vast experience working for small and international businesses and working for the non-profit sector, specializing in event coordination, managing digital content, marketing outreach and project management. His desire to help entrepreneurs and small businesses start and grow their business brought him to the Boulder SBDC. He is overseeing all workshops and events as well as all the marketing initiatives for the center.

Kozic holds a B.S. from Metropolitan State University of Denver in Marketing.

Andra Hargrave, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Director & Founder/Partner, Global Sales Advisors

Andra Hargrave is the director of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Denver Business Center, as well as Founder/Partner at Global Sales Advisors.

Specializing in government contracting, SBIR/STTR grants and contracts, identifying topics and agency opportunities, strategic marketing, business development, Andra has over 15 years of direct national and international sales channel development in the areas of government procurement and fortune level 500 business development. His marketing channel development experience lies in a variety of industries, including technology-oriented manufacturing, service industries and distribution. Hargrave possesses an in-depth knowledge of state and federal set-aside procurement programs, such as SDB, HUB and the 8a Business Development Program, among others. He has served as the director of certification for the RMMSDC and currently serves as the statewide veteran’s consultant for the Colorado SBDC Network. His comprehension of federally-backed procurements, grants and certification programs, such as Advanced Technology and SBIR/STTR, is without equal.

Dan King, Certified SBDC Consultant

Dan’s extensive career spans the fields of banking, real estate, hotels, restaurants, consulting and property management. He has worked for HSBC Bank, HVS International and has started three businesses of his own. He has been actively involved with the City of Boulder, was the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Boulder Chamber of Commerce and on the Executive Board for the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau. His areas of expertise include financial modeling, market analysis and general business operations. Dan is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Jesse Esparza, CEO, Morning Star Enterprises

As the CEO of Morning Sun Enterprises LLC, Jesse has provided guidance and supported a variety of individuals, organizations and companies. At the present he is a certified bilingual(Spanish & English) counselor to the Latino Chamber, a certified bilingual counselor and business advisor to the East Colorado, the Boulder and North Metro Small Business Development Centers, providing one on one services to individuals as well as group classes in business planning and start-up seminars.

He has counseled and provided needed services and resources to over 400 new potential and existing entrepreneurs. He has participated as a Board member of the Carbon Valley Chamber in Firestone, Colorado and the President of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Boulder County. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Boulder County Work Force.

His professional career has included 31 years as an educator 21 of those years as a principal. His leadership skills include helping individual improve their performance, cross cultural education, improving organizations, business development, and tapping potential and appropriate resources. He was the Colorado Small Business Development Center volunteer of the year in 2007 and the Small Business Development Center Counselor of the Year in 2009.

Janine Ledingham

Suzi Bahnsen, Founder, Apple & Arrow Sales

Suzi Bahnsen is Founder of Apple & Arrow Sales, a sales and marketing training business for female entrepreneurs. Suzi owned a marketing and design agency for 8 years in Boulder, as well as a consulting agency for 2 years, where she worked as a fractional CMO, creating systems and brand strategies that helped businesses to scale and increase profitability. She has also held several leadership positions as a Chief Marketing Officer, Director, and Strategist, as well as an award-winning sales professional. Over the last 20 years, her experiences have provided her with a unique perspective on sales and marketing today. Her passion is creating strategies and action plans for small business owners based on confidence, alignment and manageable steps to help her clients reach their targeted goals before burnout. Her approach is to always stay current and relevant and to share her knowledge to support businesses that need a boost with marketing and sales success.

Talia Bond, Owner, Collaborat LLC, Absolute Promo & PostNet Centennial

Talia is both a marketing expert and the owner of PostNet Centennial and Absolute Promotions. She finds fulfillment by empowering individuals and small business owners to elevate their brands and produce significant results. Talia received her MBA from Regis University, where she continues to honor the University’s mission to be of service to others. In this effort, one of Talia’s previous roles included being a consultant for the Minority Business Office for the State of Colorado where she helped hundreds of clients get certifications for government contracts. Talia is well versed in municipal certifications and understanding the path to getting government contracts. She has facilitated a myriad of workshops in Colorado and assisted with applications.

As a business owner, Talia offers additional assistance to her clients as a marketing consultant. Her clients, who are small business owners or startups not only get marketing materials but a strategy to implement their plans to grow their businesses. Outside of working with her clients, Talia enjoys keeping abreast of opportunities in Colorado to share with others.

As owner of PostNet she drives her business to success. PostNet, a marketing and shipping franchise, has been serving private and government clients with great reviews. Some of PostNet’s clients include the SBDC, MBO (Minority Business Office), The City of Longmont, The City and County of Denver, Waste Management, among other government agencies. PostNet Centennial is known for its quick turnaround and good quality of products.

Driven by fun, Talia finds fulfillment through her friendships, having a good laugh and not taking herself too seriously. She lives in Denver and has fun with her daughters and husband.

"The small business support from Colorado SBDC is phenomenal. The consultants are of the highest quality, high integrity, trustworthy and incredibly helpful. The time savings and ability to take on more work is facilitated by having this kind of support available to the small business, particularly in the technology sector."
Helen PetachRatiocinative Engineering Services LLC
"Dan, thank you for your efforts to help us get our EIDL. When I reached out to the SBDC, Sharon got back to me the same day and let me know that the SBDC would do what it could to help. By the end of the next day, Dan had put together a summary of the issues we were facing and sent it to his contact at the SBA. Just four business days later, our loan was approved! There is no shortage of challenges faced by small companies as they work tirelessly to succeed in a very competitive world, so it's great to know that there are organizations like the Boulder SBDC that we can turn to for help."
Michael DulbergSherpa Chai, LLC
“Thank you for organizing this great informative session on the PPP utilization part. I have been in conversation with Dan King and want you to know that you guys are doing a great job in helping small businesses like us. Thank you for all the work you guys do!”
DURGESH SINGHMagswitch Technology
"These [webinars] are super helpful and I can’t thank you and the [SBDC] for all your help for our small Colorado businesses. These are such hard and scary times - being connected does a world of good. Please thank all the panel participants as well. They’ve been fantastic! Best wishes to you and your colleagues and hope you’re all staying safe."
JacqueJourney's Aviation
"A big shout out to Dan and the staff of Boulder SBDC and the SBA from Mustards Last Stand. Thank you for your assistance in helping Mustards resolve a technical issue with our application for our second round funding of the PPP program. Without your assistance I would probably still be on hold listening to maddening music over and over and over again, while worrying the whole time. We appreciate the support from you and everyone else in this community that makes us proud to be an ongoing part of Boulder's business community."
Dan PolovinMustards Last Stand
“Thank you so much for your time! Besides the great information, your energy and support were priceless! It is so good to feel you are not alone in this journey.”
LAILA MARZALLTSM Microwave
"After almost two months of messing with Chase Bank, Susan got us the PPP loan filed and approved in about 8 hours. I hesitate to celebrate until money is in the bank, but it’s looking good and Susan was absolutely amazing. Of course, I’m wouldn't even be talking to Susan if you hadn't made the connection, so chalk up another small business success to SBDC. I see why you’re the best on the country. This loan was crucial to our success at a critical time in the world. All I can say is thank you."
Jeff S.Earthvisionz
“As a new resident in rural Colorado I was truly at a loss about the tech community out here until I attended the SBDC TechSource event in Salida. I was truly impressed by the quality of the content at the event (compared to similar events in Chicago), was able to make some great connections within the local community, and was able to sign up for additional services as well. SBDC assisted us with market research which helped expedite our focus in Colorado and helped connect us with funding sources to expand. Beyond that they were quick to respond, a pleasure to work with, and went above and beyond with their services. I would absolutely recommend SBDC TechSource to another tech company, especially for companies outside of the front range that are looking to connect and grow rapidly. “
CHRIS MCLAUGHLINVital Command
"I just wanted to send a quick note and let you know how helpful Brian Ormsby has been. He responded to my query about a week and answered a bunch of questions about the EIDL, and then we talked again to day about the PPP. I’ve asked several other resources about my PPP questions and he was the first person to answer them. I can’t stress enough how nice it is to be able to talk directly to someone who can answer questions about all of these programs. So thank you very much for making him available...!"
David PAccuer, Inc.
"I'm not sure if this email goes through, but I just wanted to say thank you so much for hosting this webinar. As a small business that is running because of the SBDC, I am so appreciative of what you do for business owners. I went to film school and I'm only successful in my business because of the years of support I've gotten from the SBDC to help me get a business mindset and navigate the crazy waters of running a company. In all of this uncertainty, it's felt like I couldn't find good, solid answers on our PPP loan, and this webinar was so helpful and the tool of the PPP Loan Forgiveness Estimator is so comforting to get some answers. Keep up the good work, and stay healthy out there. With much appreciation."
Shawna M.FX Media
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Boulder
1500 Pearl St., Suite 300 (physical)
1500 Pearl St., Suite 302 (mailing)
Boulder, CO 80302

Longmont
528 Main St.
Longmont, CO 80501

303-442-1475
admin@bouldersbdc.com

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CONSULTANT PORTAL

The Colorado Small Business Development Center Network is a partnership between the State of Colorado, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Small Business Administration (SBA), Colorado’s institutions of higher education, local economic development organizations and local chambers of commerce.

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