The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) network’s Berkshire Office and eight of the Isenberg-based statewide network’s clients were honored on May 4 at the annual New England-wide Massachusetts Awards Ceremony associated with National Small Business Week. Hosted in Framingham by the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE, the gathering named the Berkshire Regional Office as recipient of its Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award.
Leveraging its small, dedicated team, the regional center, noted the awarding body, exceeded deliverable goals by advising 199 client firms. Through a “guerilla partnering” approach to outreach with institutional partners and other stakeholders in its community, the center significantly expanded its footprint with the public.
MSBDC Boston Regional Office client Todd Snopkowski, president of Snapchef, which provides culinary staff, received top honors as Small Business Person of the Year. Other honorees and their MSBDC affiliations (in parentheses) appear below:
“The number of MSBDC clients who secured awards in a single year was phenomenal. It’s a testimony to the prowess of our expert staff in advancing the climate and opportunities for small businesses in the Commonwealth,” emphasizes MSBDC state director Georgianna Parkin.
Two graduates of Isenberg’s MBA program—Julia Dvorko ’97 (regional director of the Massachusetts Export Center’s Central Massachusetts office) and Nancy Shulman ’77 (senior business advisor with MSBDC’s Berkshire Regional Office) played roles in the honors associated with their centers.
Isenberg is state headquarters for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) network, a federal-state partnership providing one-to-one free, comprehensive and confidential services focusing on business growth and strategies, financing and loan assistance, and strategic analysis. The statewide network’s regional and specialty centers offer three integrated product/service lines: Business Advisory Services, Government Contracting and International Trade Assistance.