Employment

When a position at the ASBDC becomes available, it will be advertised on the UA Jobs Website.  Positions at our sub-centers will be filled via their respective host institution.

Counseling and Technical Assistance

The Alabama SBDC Network specializes in one-on-one business counseling and educational training for small businesses.  Programs of assistance are developed in response to small business needs and growth opportunities for expansion of the state’s economy.  In FY 2010, the Alabama SBDC Network served 3,286 small businesses with one-on-one counseling and provided educational training to 7,670 individuals to enhance their business skills. As a result of technical assistance, 184 new small businesses were started in FY 2010; SBDC counselors helped 128 businesses secure $31.4 million in external financing; 519 new jobs were created; and 695 jobs were retained.

Government Procurement

The Alabama Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program operates statewide to provide technical assistance to help small businesses win government contracts.  Specialized PTAC counselors assist firms on a one-on-one basis and utilize a unique bid-match database system to help small businesses bid on government contract opportunities.  In FY 2010, the Alabama PTAC program helped small businesses win $547 million in prime awards and $22.5 million in subcontract awards.  www.al-ptac.org

International Trade

Established in 1979, The Alabama International Trade Center operates statewide to provide one-on-one counseling to assist small businesses to increase export sales and boost the state’s economy.  Teams of export professionals provide export counseling, research, and training to help small firms enter foreign markets.  The Center also provides export financing programs to help firms expand international sales.  In FY 2010, the Trade Center helped small businesses create new export sales of $12.5 million and secured $3.4 million in export financing for shipments of Alabama-made products to foreign markets. www.aitc.ua.edu

What is an SBDC?

A Small Business Development Center (SBDC) counsels and trains business people in a wide variety of business topics and provides comprehensive information services and access to experts in many fields.  Counseling is provided free of charge to small business owners.  SBDCs develop and maintain partnerships among community organizations and local, state and federal agencies, providing a focal point for a broad network of public and private resources at the community level.  SBDC partnership programs and activities serving small businesses have contributed significantly to economic growth in Alabama and across the nation.   

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administers the overall SBDC program while implementation of each state program rests with the SBDC State Director and the participating organizations within the state. The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency administers the Procurement Technical Assistance Program which is supported by the Alabama Small Business Development Center Network.  In Alabama, 10 state universities host SBDCs. The Advisory Board of the ASBDC is composed of members of the small business community. The Alabama Small Business Development Center Network began operating in 1980.  The Alabama SBDCs make up 12 of the over 1100 SBDC service centers nationwide. SBDCs are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.