SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-VICTORIA
700 Main Center, Suite 101, Victoria, Texas 77901
Phone: (361) 575-8944 · (877) 895-SBDC
Fax: (361) 570-8931

UHV SBDC REACHES AGREEMENT WITH GVEC AND DEWITT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

The University of Houston-Victoria Small Business Development Center (UHV SBDC) has reached an agreement with Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC) Inc. in conjunction with the DeWitt Community Development Foundation to provide business counseling services in Cuero starting on February 3, 2006.

A business development specialist with UHV SBDC will be available in Cuero once a month to meet with new, existing and future business owners to provide managerial, financial, accounting and marketing assistance. The DeWitt Community Development Foundation will provide a private meeting space for this confidential and one-on-one counseling engagement at the DeWitt Technology Center. The DeWitt Technology Center is located in the DeWitt Industrial Park, just north of Cuero on Hwy. 183. Call 361-275-5030 for more information.

For over fifteen years, the UHV SBDC has been a catalyst for business and economic growth in Victoria and the surrounding areas. Last year the UHV SBDC counseled with over 200 businesses, helped start 17 businesses, and was instrumental in creating 80 jobs. In short, the UHV SBDC has strengthened the regional economy one business at a time.

The UHV SBDC, in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), provides free and confidential management assistance to potential and existing small businesses in an 11 county area including Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Karnes, Lavaca, Refugio, and Victoria counties. Services include help with business planning, marketing, management, record-keeping, financing proposals, and government contracting as well as many others. Training classes are also available for a variety of business skills. Because of UHV SBDC's partnership with the SBA, specialized resources and services are available through the regional SBDC office hosted by the University of Texas San Antonio.

As of January 2006, the UHV SBDC became an integral part of the expanded commitment of the University of Houston-Victoria and the university's School of Business Administration (SoBA) to regional economic development. The UHV SBDC became the "center-piece" of the SoBA's regional economic development outreach. In addition to outreach, the SoBA is in the process of developing a variety of academic programs that will enhance the economic potential of the region. New programs include the Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Health Care Administration that will support the growing health care segment of the area's economy, the Global Master of Business Administration that will provide the skills necessary to compete in the global market place, and the Master of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship that will provide professionals with the tools necessary to establish, retain and expand, and attract business in and to the area.

If you are interested in meeting with a business development specialist in Cuero, please contact the UHV SBDC at (361) 575-8944, toll free at (877) 895-SBDC, or check out the UHV SBDC on the Internet at http://www.sbdcvictoria.com.

"A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION"