West Virginia SBDCs received accreditation
from the Association of Small Business
Development Centers, vital for
West Virginia’s small business centers to
continue receiving funds from the U.S.
Small Business Administration.
Honors were also earned by SBDC
business coach Jamie Gaucher. In 2011, he
received a Technology Counselor Certification,
becoming one of only 39 certified technology
business coaches nationwide. The certification
requires expertise in technology transfer and
commercialization, research and development
funding, intellectual property issues, tech
networking/resource identification and
alternative financing.
"SBDC works hard to meet
the needs of West Virginia’s
entrepreneurs and technologybased
businesses"
- Kristina Oliver
SBDC Director
“The SBDC works hard to meet the needs of
West Virginia’s entrepreneurs and technologybased
businesses,” said Oliver. “Jamie’s
achievement furthers our goal to provide
expert business coaching and technical
assistance to the state’s innovators.”
Gaucher manages the West Virginia Small
Business Innovation Research and the Small
Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR)
programs. The federal SBIR/STTR programs
provide a billion dollars each year in earlystage
research and development awards and
contracts to small technology companies.
“The Technology Counselor Certification
fits squarely into SBDC plans here to gain
accreditation as a Small Business Technology
Development Center,” said Gaucher. “It
opens the door to have someone within the
Development Office focused exclusively on
technology-based economic development.”
Among the technology companies SBDC
works with is Rowdy Orbit. CEO Jonathan
Moore describes the company as an online
network that airs more than 140 Web shows
geared toward African American, Asian and
Hispanic viewers.
A former advertising copywriter, Moore
and his wife decided to move from his native
Baltimore to West Virginia, where they could
buy more house and a better life for less.
SBDC people challenge me, inspire me and help me see opportunities...if i was going to start my business this move would be the path... ”
- CEO Jonathan Moore
Rowdy Orbit
“I knew if I was going to start my business
that this move would be the path,” he said.
Moore contacted Christina Lundberg of
the SBDC office in Martinsburg, where he
found help with business planning, time
management training and local resources.
Rowdy Orbit connected with Shepherd
University and works in association with
the University’s communications and film
departments. He hired an intern as one of
Rowdy Orbit’s three employees.
“If you connect to the right people, there’s a
lot of collaboration here,” he says. “The SBDC
people challenge me, inspire me and help me
see opportunities.”
“West Virginia’s SBDC coaches can help with
business plan development, financial statement
preparation, cash flow analysis and other
services small businesses need,” said Oliver. “If
you want to find out whether you’re ready to get
in the game, or get help upgrading your skills
for a championship season, the West Virginia
SBDC is committed to helping you succeed.”
For more info, visit www.wvsbdc.org or call
888-982-7232.
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