North Country Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Students

The NYS/SBDC at Plattsburgh has many objectives including participation in the academic community at Plattsburgh State University College of New York. We achieve this objective, in part, by offering a number of credit internships each semester. The NYS/SBDC at Plattsburgh has been exceedingly lucky to have the opportunity to work with wonderful students over the past few years and it is an honor to share some of their stories here.

Spotlight on Interns...

Di Zhou'08

Di Zhou is from Hubei Province in China . Hubei is a central province of the People's Republic of China . It is an ancient name associated with the eastern part of the province since the Qin Dynasty. The name Hubei means "north of the lake," referring to Hubei 's position north of Dongting Lake . The capital of Hubei is Wuhan . Di is the 2007 recipient of the Brian Scanlon Scholarship for Excellence in Economics, a scholarship endowed in 1996 and given annually to Economics Majors.

Di Zhou transferred from Wuhan University of Technology, China to SUNY College at Plattsburgh starting Fall 2006. There have been many opportunities at SUNY Plattsburgh in the past year, said Di, which gave me confidence to do well in my studies.

One of the most extraordinary opportunities for her, she said, "was my internship at the North Country SBDC ( Small Business Development Center )." Knowing that as an international student, adjusting can be difficult, "the North Country SBDC staff have been supportive and helped me adapt the new working environment. They are even helping me with my English."

Di says she enjoys learning and trying new things. "At the North Country SBDC, I learned marketing research, industry information analysis, preparing financial reports, editing and writing business plans, time management and interpersonal skills. Being able to join client meetings, staff meetings and supervising meetings has also been interesting. I even had chance to communicate with a client, under the guidance of my Business Advisor-mentor, at a face-to-face meeting."

"I consider everyone at the SBDC colleagues and I appreciate everything they have taught me. It is satisfying to have done well enough to have gained the respect of the staff of the SBDC," said Di, smiling. "The internship at the North Country SBDC was a really interesting and challenging experience. The knowledge I learned will aid me in my future, either in graduate school or in my career."

Breanna Ryan '08

Literacy-Education Graduate Student Assists Daily In Small Business Development Office

Breanna Ryan is a graduate student in the SUNY College at Plattsburgh Literacy Education and will earn her Master's Degree in August 2008.

Breanna graduated from Plattsburgh State in December 2006 with a degree in Childhood Education and is certified to teach grades 1-6. She is also involved with the Student Ambassador program, giving tours of the campus and assisting with events for alumni and guests of the college.

She began working at the North Country Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in May 2005. Says Breanna, "I enjoy it very much; the people are very friendly and easy to work with. Though I have no background in business, working in a business office has been quite a learning experience for me. I have gained new skills in Excel; have a better understanding of what is involved in business startup, and how to market a business." According to Breanna, studying and working at Plattsburgh State and the North Country SBDC is a perfect fit!

Jolanda Kendricks '07

Jolanda Kendricks entered the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh in 2003. 'It has given me the most wonderful experience that I could have ever imagined, said Jolanda.' As an accounting major with a minor in business in the School of Business and Economics, she feels many opportunities come her way .

One of the best opportunities, according to Jolanda, was given to her was in the summer of 2006, when she interned at the North Country Small Business Development Center (SBDC). 'At the SBDC, I was given hands-on experience working with the business advisors and staff to assist clients with their financial statements and business plans, using QuickBooks, and much more.'

For Jolanda, the SBDC not only give her the opportunity to work with terrific people, but also gave her the experience she needed to prepare for her career. 'It provided me with the confidence I need to succeed in the business world,' she said, 'while also knowing I can accomplish any challenge I take on.'

Jolanda found that the most important thing she learned from her internship at SBDC is that it is important, along with a lot of hard work, to have job experience to be successful in a career. 'With the help of the staff at the SBDC, I know I will achieve what I set out to do,' she said.

Jolanda plans to attend graduate school to further her education after the May 2007 commencement. 'By earning a MS in Accounting and using the experience from the SBDC, I know that I will become the successful accountant that I have always dreamed about.'

Kevin Rowland '05

Kevin Rowland graduated from the SUNY College at Plattsburgh School of Business and Economics in December 2005 with a double major in Accounting and Business, and a minor in Business Analysis. Kevin is from Mechanicville, New York .

Kevin decided to attend the State University of New York at Plattsburgh to follow in the footsteps of most of his family. His mother, sister, and two brothers are all alumni of SUNY College at Plattsburgh, and they helped to persuade him to attend the college because of the great experiences that they had. Another deciding factor to attend SUNY Plattsburgh was due to the campus having an AACSB accredited School of Business & Economics.

Kevin says that his experience during his internship with the North Country Small Business Development Center could be described as one in which everyday was a new learning experience. The tasks of editing business plans, creating cash flow projections, writing press releases, designing flyers for workshops, interviewing clients, researching information on certain industries, and much more, were very helpful in giving him a 'good taste' of what working in a business environment is all about. Kevin also found that the assistance by the SBDC staff always made for a welcoming environment in which he was given positive feedback on his progression throughout the semester, and at the same time gave him the opportunity to be able to voice his opinion on topics.

After graduation Kevin began working as an examiner for the NYS Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Local Government Services and Economic Development. He will also become a CPA, and possibly might attend night classes in order to achieve a M.S. in Accounting. ' I truly enjoyed the experiences that I had during my internship with the SBDC, said Kevin, and will carry the experience and memories with me into future endeavors.'

Contact Information

To learn more about the Small Business Development Center, please contact:

Mr. Rick Leibowitz
Regional Director, New York State Small Business Development Center
SUNY College at Plattsburgh
194 US Oval, 2nd Floor North
Plattsburgh , NY 12903
Phone: (518) 564-2042
Fax: (518) 564-2043
E-mail: sbdc@plattsburgh.edu

North Country Small Business Development Center (SBDC) - Intern & Alumni Successes

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