ASBTDC Office at ATU Wins Statewide Awards

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center regional office at Arkansas Tech University collected several honors at ASBTDC’s statewide meeting on April 26 in Little Rock.

ASBTDC State Director Laura Fine presented Employee Excellence Awards to top performers from ASBTDC’s network of offices.

Nathan George and Ronda Hawkins received individual awards, and the ATU staff, which also includes Tracie White, was named the Star Marketing Team. The center also won accolades for its performance in a year-long social media photo challenge.

George, ATU center director, won top awards in three categories: capital formation, sales and start-up excellence.

To recognize the dollar value of loans and other forms of capital that staff members help their small business clients attain in a calendar year, ASBTDC designates “club” levels of productivity. George made the $10 Million Club by assisting clients in obtaining $13.76 million in capital last year, a personal best in his five years with the center.

For the third consecutive year, George received the Sales Star Award for helping client businesses increase sales.

George and Hawkins, the center’s business consultant, both received the Start-up Star Award for assisting the most new businesses in 2016. They each assisted 17 starts.

“I am proud of the excellent service the Arkansas Tech University ASBTDC provides to the small businesses and communities in its region and congratulate the staff on these well-deserved honors,” said Fine.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Small Business Administration through a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business and other institutions of higher education, the ASBTDC offers consulting, training and market research to Arkansas small businesses. Assisting with every aspect of business creation, management and operation, the ASBTDC serves new, existing and technology-based businesses statewide. To learn more, visit asbtdc.org.

Located in Rothwell Hall, the Arkansas Tech office serves entrepreneurs in nine counties: Conway, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Pope, Scott, Sebastian and Yell.

Call (479) 356-2067 or visit www.atu.edu/asbtdc for more information about the ASBTDC regional office at ATU.