For additional information about any of the news stories listed below, please contact Rodger Boyce in the NCTC Office of Marketing & Public Relations, 1525 W. California St., Gainesville, TX 76240, telephone 940-668-4255. All material Copyright 2003, North Central Texas Community College District.

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KEELER HONORED FOR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
NOTE: See photo at conclusion or article.

GAINESVILLE, TEXAS – Cathy Keeler, director of the Small Business Development Center at North Central Texas College, has been named “State Star of the North Texas SBDC” for 2007.

Announcement of the honor, formally presented at the recent national conference of America’s Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) in Denver, was made by Liz Klimback, North Texas SBDC director.

“This award is given in recognition of Mrs. Keeler’s outstanding performance and for her extraordinary contributions to the work of the North Texas SBDC and to small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout her college’s entire service area of Cooke, Denton and Montague counties,” Klimback said.

“I’m very honored to accept this award,” said Keeler, “but I’m even more gratified to have had the opportunity to help so many people achieve the dream of starting or expanding and succeeding in their own business.”

Director of the SBDC at North Central Texas College for the past 21 years, Keeler said the center has assisted 315 entrepreneurs over the past year and helped in the creation of some 32 new businesses and 97 new jobs.

Among the SBDC’s many success stories are Enhanced Powder Coating LLC of Gainesville, 2007 winner of the SBA Dallas/Ft. Worth district “Small Business of the Year,” and Cappuccino Carwash of Gainesville, 2006 winner of the SBA Dallas/Ft. Worth district “Young Entrepreneur of the Year.” The list also includes many businesses in Denton and Bowie.

Among the services offered by the SBDC at NCTC are assistance with business planning and development, identifying sources of financing, implementing effective management techniques, and formulating effective advertising and marketing programs. Help is also available in such areas as minority business certification, technology and patent assistance and international trade.

America’s Small Business Development Center network, Keeler said, is a partnership uniting private enterprise, government, higher education and local nonprofit economic development organizations.

The ASBDC network is the Small Business Administration’s largest partnership program, providing management and technical assistance to help Americans start, run and grow their own businesses.

With about 1,000 centers across the nation, the SBDC network assists approximately 725,000 small businesses every year in face-to-face counseling and training, in addition to assisting hundreds of thousands more small businesses through fax-on-demand and e-mail.

Counseling is provided at no charge, and training programs are provided either for free or at very low cost.

Persons wishing to learn more should contact Cathy Keeler at 940-668-4220 (Gainesville and Bowie) or one of two locations in Denton County, one located at the Corinth Campus Pinnell Square annex, 940-498-6276, and the other located at the Denton Chamber of Commerce, 940-380-1849. Mrs. Keeler may be contacted by email at ckeeler@nctc.edu.

Information is also available online at http://www.nctc.edu/SBDC/sbdc.html.

PHOTO CUTLINE…..
SBDC STATE STAR OF NORTH TEXAS—Cathy Keeler of North Central Texas College, center, accepts special recognition for outstanding achievement over the past year as director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at North Central Texas College. The award was given at the recent national conference of America’s Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) in Denver. Shown left to right are Stephen Connors, vice president of the small business segment of Fidelity Investments, ASBDC State Star reception sponsor; Elizabeth Klimback, state director, North Texas SBDC; Keeler; Mark Petrilli, state director, Illinois SBDC and 2007 chair, ASBDC board of directors; and Jean Holcombe, deputy associate administrator, Office of Small Business Development Centers, U.S. Small Business Administration
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