PHOTO COURTESY UC MERCED
MERCED — The UC Merced Small Business Development Center is now fully accredited by the Association of Small Business Development Centers.
The accreditation will allow the Small Business Development Center to secure continued funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The honor is based on the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.
The Small Business Development Center met the technology accreditation standards as well as the general accreditation standards. That positions the school as one of only 12 out of 63 state and regional programs awarded the “T” designation for technology. There are only two other such networks in California, the Northern California Small Business Development Center Regional Network (San Francisco region) and Orange County/Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Regional Network.
“The UC Merced (Small Business Development Center) Network is to be commended for both its exceptional dedication and commitment to the pursuit of continuous improvement,” said Beth Melnik, chair of the accreditation team. “Congratulations are also in order for earning the Technology Accreditation for the first time.”
In 2015, the UC Merced Small Business Development Center assisted more than 4,000 entrepreneurs bring their product or service to market. More than $20.9 million in new equity and loans were given to area clients which resulted in 126 new businesses and 664 jobs created and/or retained. The center has had $289 million in’s total economic impact since 2003.
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