Penn State Outreach has announced the strategic alignment of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP). Heather Fennessey, director of the SBDC, also will assume leadership responsibilities for PennTAP.
These units will work together with academic partners and continue to serve clients across Pennsylvania. The new structure also will give undergraduate and graduate students at Penn State new opportunities, as they connect what they’re learning in the classroom with what is happening in the community.
SBDC and PennTAP will focus on student service learning to address business needs through curriculum, and research commercialization to spur economic growth.
The SBDC at Penn State was founded in 1997 to meet the needs of entrepreneurs in Centre and Mifflin counties. SBDC provides free, confidential consulting services to individuals looking to start or grow a small business.
PennTAP provides a variety of services to Pennsylvania business and industry, and offers resources in areas such as information technology, energy, environmental health and safety, manufacturing innovation, and new product development.
“By strategically aligning the two brands, we can increase our ability to help businesses in Pennsylvania while bringing Penn State expertise into the community,” said Fennessey, who has been with the SBDC since 2001 .
This new configuration will offer additional resources to business owners and become a “one stop shop” for entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs and businesses interested in more information may call 814-863-4293.
The SBDC at Penn State is part of a nationwide network of more than 1,000 centers. This center provides free business assistance to small firms and business start-ups in Centre and Mifflin counties, enabling them to compete and grow in today’s highly competitive global economy.
PennTAP engages, guides and empowers businesses and organizations throughout the Commonwealth and beyond by providing objective and experience-based technical and workforce solutions that enable clients to succeed and thrive -- stimulating economic growth for Pennsylvania.
Both PennTAP and SBDC are part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 114 countries worldwide.