About Us
The Montana Small Business Development Center's (SBDC) certified Business Consultants offer free one-on-one business advising to entrepreneurs statewide. The SBDC Lead Center is located at the Montana Department of Commerce in Helena and supports ten centers, each hosted by economic development and higher education institutions.
The SBDC network is a nationally accredited program through America's SBDC. Over the course of its 30-year history, the SBDC has assisted more than 29,000 Montana entrepreneurs and nearly 6,500 businesses. In 2019, the SBDC network helped launch 61 new businesses, counseled clients for 6,377 hours, and hosted 96 training seminars to reach 1,165 participants. The SBDC also supported 2,303 jobs in Montana and helped small business owners launch or grow their companies by working with clients to access more than $28 million in financing.
Each local SBDC offers the following services areas for start-ups, existing and expanding businesses:
- Financial Analysis
- Business Planning
- Operations Assistance
- Marketing & Social Media Assistance
- Training & Workshops
- Entrepreneurial Development
- Loan Packaging Assistance
- Succession Planning
Read our latest news or view press kit to find out more information.
Our Annual Report provides stats on our productivity and economic impact. Success stories featured are also on our success story page.
We are proud to showcase the collective strength of our network, individual accomplishments of our Business Advisors, and the support of our host organizations. We work hard to maintain the highest level of quality for the entrepreneurs of Montana.
Our success is Montana's success!
The Montana SBDC Advisory Council is comprised of members who have demonstrated an interest in supporting and promoting small businesses and assistance activities. Each member is appointed by the Governor. Members are selected to represent a broad range of backgrounds and skills, including not only those who have experience in small business ownership and operations, but also those who are in leadership positions in statewide economic development, holding positions in government, education and the non-profit sector. The State SBDC Advisory Council Members serve for terms of two years, commencing when the appointments are made.
The Council is created for the purpose of acting in an advisory capacity as provided in 2-15-102 MCA: furnishing advice, gathering information, making recommendations, and performing activities that may be necessary to comply with federal funding requirements and does not mean administration of the program or setting policy. The purpose of the council is to leverage support for the SBDC Network, and to provide advice to the SBDC State Director of matters related to strategic planning, best practices, and solving marketing and funding challenges.
2022 Advisory Council Members:
Paddy Fleming
Director
Montana Manufacturing Extension Center
pfleming@montana.edu
Julie Jaksha
Market President
Ascent Bank
Reed W Bassett
Community Banking Relationship Manager
U.S. Bank
Joe Fanguy
VP Strategic Development
Blackfoot Communications
Shandy Hanks Moran
Commercial Lending Specialist
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Dan Gorton
Three Rivers Bank of Montana
Tracy McIntyre
Executive Director
Montana Cooperative Development Center
Ex-officio:
Brent Donnelly
District Director, Montana Office of Field Operations
U.S. Small Business Administration
SBDC program partners are key organizations or individuals who are working in concert with our network to achieve a common goal and contribute significantly to our organization’s ability to achieve results. Below are the partners that help make our network a success, including the Montana Department of Commerce, the Incumbent Worker Training Program at the Montana Department of Labor & Industry and our Business Advisors' host organizations.
The Montana SBDC is funded in-part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Montana Department of Commerce.
Montana SBDC National Partner
