About Us
Who We Serve
Economic Impact
SBTDC Staff
Instructors
About Us
Missouri State University's Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC, formerly the Small Business Development Center), with offices located in Springfield and West Plains, is part of a nationwide network and is affiliated with and supported by Missouri State's College of Business Administration. This year's name change reflects an expanded focus on technology. Our local center was established in October of 1982 to provide businesses with training, products and solutions designed to help them become part of Missouri's thriving business sector.
On this web site, you will find training opportunities, product information, and details regarding the services available to your company through the SBTDC. All services are focused on providing assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs that will result in positive economic impact. Impact is further defined as "job creation, job retention, increased sales, new business creation, business retention, dollar amounts of loans, and increased profitability."
The SBTDC has the following distinctions, which aid the center in offering you the most comprehensive services available:
- Associate Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce
- Official loan packager for the SBA Export Working Capital Program
- Certified by the National Association of Small Business Development Centers
Our resource partners also include:
- U.S. Small Business Administration
- Missouri Department of Economic Development
- Missouri Department of Agriculture
- Missouri Secretary of State's Office
- Area Chambers of Commerce
- Greater Ozarks International Trade Association
- Private Companies
- Financial Institutions
- Institute For Procurement Assistance
- Missouri state university - West Plains Satellite Office
The SBTDC Satellite Office in West Plains was established in December 1998. Missouri State University-WP is the local university that hosts and supports the program, while the SBTDC is actually a satellite center of the Springfield SBTDC. The West Plains SBTDC Office is located in the West Plains Civic Center. For more information call (417) 255-7966.
"The Small Business & Technology Development Center at Missouri State University helped us navigate through the Federal Governments paperwork to secure SBA loan financing for our business. Without them, it would have been difficult and time consuming for us to complete all of the required paperwork. As business owners, our productivity and efficiency is important to us especially since our time is already limited. They guided us effortlessly through the various requirements of the SBA loan application. Because of the work of the SBTDC, we were able to secure a working capital loan to expand our business in Ozark. We are very grateful and appreciative. Since the approval of our SBA loan we have continued to use the services at the Center whether business planning, cash management, or even one-on-one consultations. This Center does provide a valuable service to many small business owners, to our employees, and to our expanded communities" - David & Rheanna Ellingson, Accent Flooring
Who We Serve
Missouri States SBTDC helps both established businesses and those just beginning. The only requirements are a strong desire to help yourself and an interest in contributing to the stability of Missouri's economy.
SBTDCs Serve:
- Manufacturers employing up to 500
- Wholesalers employing up to 100
- Retailers with annual gross sales of up to $6.5 million
- Service businesses with gross revenues of up to $6.5 million
- General construction firms with average annual receipts of up to $31 million
- Special trade construction with average annual receipts not exceeding $13 million
- Agriculture with average annual receipts of up to $750,000
Economic Impact
FY2008 RESULTS
Take a look at the positive results generated by Missouri State University's SBTDC Consultants. These results are based on impact interviews signed and documented by local business owners.
- We served 155 businesses with an average of 13.78 hours per business!
- Over $12 million in increased sales!
- Over $11 million in approved loans and investments!
- Assisted in retaining 562 jobs and in creating 1,021 new jobs!
- Assisted in creating 9 new businesses and in the acquisition of 2 existing businesses!
- Offered 78 training events for a total of 1,826 hours of training for small businesses!
SBTDC Staff
Rayanna Anderson,
SBTDC Director
Rayanna Anderson is the Director of the Small Business & Technology Development Center, as well as a consultant and instructor. She has consulted with over 1,600 businesses and has received the National Consulting Award from the National Association of Small Business Development Centers. She has helped small business owners acquire over 35 million dollars in financing. Plus, five of the businesses she has consulted with have received the Excellence in Business Award from the Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Center, and one business has received the National Blue Chip Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She holds an MBA from Missouri State University with an emphasis in marketing. Rayanna also has four years of accounting experience and ten years of management experience prior to joining the SBDC in 1991.
Isabel Eisenhauer,
SBTDC Consultant
Isabel Eisenhauer has joined the Missouri State University Small Business & Technology Development Center as a Consultant. Isabel is a Sales and Marketing Professional with 19 years experience with two Fortune 100 Corporations. As an Account Manager with Northrop Grumman (formerly Litton), Isabel had customer support and service responsibility for their single largest customer, representing 44% of gross sales. Prior to this, Isabel designed, implemented, and utilized a sales forecast system which provided planning information to Senior Management and unit demand information to Middle Management. Experience with Hewlett Packard included contributing in the Marketing function (New Product Introduction Management, Reseller Channel Management, and Sales Development) and the Finance/Accounting function (Financial Planning, Financial Reporting, Special Projects, and Cost Accounting). An area of significant accomplishment was during a three month assignment in Germany which resulted in improved relationships between the seven domestic divisions and the European distribution center. Isabel has worked extensively with international divisions located in Italy, Puerto Rico, England, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Scotland and China. Other experiences include owning a Management Consulting/Accounting firm providing services to small businesses and as an Associate Faculty in a small Community College teaching business courses. In addition, Isabel is a professional photographer providing wedding, family and high school portraiture as well as artistic landscape and architectural photography. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting and an MBA with emphasis in management information systems, both from Northern Arizona University. She is also fluent in Spanish.
Tara Horton,
SBTDC Training Coordinator
Tara Horton is the Training Coordinator for the SBTDC. She has over 12 years of experience in marketing, advertising and public relations work. She is currently responsible for coordinating and marketing the projects of the SBTDC outreach program in training and professional development for the small business community. She works directly with business and industry leaders to design training and professional development programs to meet specific company needs in assigned areas. Tara holds of Bachelor of Science degree in Radio, Television & Film - Sales / Management from Oklahoma State University.
Russell Wyrick,
Coordinator, West Plains SBTDC
Russell Wyrick is the Coordinator of the West Plains Small Business & Technology Development Center. His office serves Howell, Texas, Douglas, Oregon, Shannon, Wright, and Ozark Counties. Russells background includes over 14 years of small business ownership experience in manufacturing, service and retail ventures. As an entrepreneur, his companies have performed work for customers such as Dell, Hewlett Packard, Fujitsu, Texaco, Chevron, Hertz, Estee Lauder, Lenovo, Apple, and Red Lobster as well as various schools, colleges, local, state and federal government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. Russell holds a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Management from Northwood University along with several various technical certifications. Prior to joining the Missouri State University SBTDC in July of 2007, Russell was serving as President of Trimax Corporation, VP of Sales and Marketing for Pointman Corporation and as an SBTDC Consultant in Cedar Hill, TX.
Instructors:
Lesa Brownell,
Compliance Design
Lesa Brownell of Compliance Design educates companies with a wide variety of compliance needs about creating balanced compliance programs. Lesa has more than 20 years of industry experience in the international business and marketing sectors where her vision and expertise in export compliance have significantly contributed to company growth and development. Offering a unique blend of creative and operations strengths, Lesa has achieved exciting company and product turnarounds and is recognized for her success in growing international business markets. Her strategic approach to international business was evident in her work as International Sales Manager for Ken-A-Vision and as an International Sales Representative at Labconco. She is known for her ability to quickly identify and diagnose compliance issues while working with companies to refine their organizational structure in Export Management, product lines, sourcing, market position and advertising. Lesa received her Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Marketing from Park University.
Gabe DiGiorgio,
Commerce Bank
Gabe DiGiorgio is responsible for the business development efforts of Commerce Bank's International Banking Group. He works directly with importers and exporters throughout the Commerce Bank footprint, drawing from years of technical expertise regarding international payments, documentary and standby letters of credit, and documentary collections. Gabe supports international trade throughout the region by staying involved with numerous international committees and organizations, and by providing informational seminars.
Cyndy Elworth, CPA, CIA, CVA
Schultz, Durham & Rapp, P.C.
Cyndy has been a certified public accountant since 1999. While in public accounting, Cyndy has performed over 100 business valuations for clients in many states. Her clients consist of large and small companies encompassing all industries. She has received training by both the AICPA and the NACVA and became a Certified Valuation Analyst in 2003. Cyndy has worked for the national business valuation association, NACVA, to oversee the development and reconstruction of its examination question and answer database, used in the CVA certification process. She has also written materials used by NACVA in its valuation training centers given throughout the country. Elworth is a member of the AICPA, the MSCPA and the NACVA. She is a member of the MSCPA’s Business Valuation Committee, which serves members throughout the state of Missouri. She is also a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Eric Jensen,
O'Reilly & Jensen, LLC
Eric Jensen is a partner in The Law Firm of OReilly & Jensen, LLC. He is a graduate of William Jewell College, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Eric wrote for the Law Review, and his article: When Hired Guns Backfire: The Witness Immunity Doctrine and the Negligent Expert Witness, appeared in the Fall 1993 issue. Eric was chosen for the Order of Barristers, and won the Sheridan Award for Appellate Advocacy. He devotes a large portion of his practice to the representation of individuals and employers in employment discrimination litigation. He advises human resource professionals on policies and procedures as part of his practice. Eric is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Kansas. He is licensed in the United States Court for the Western District of Missouri, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kansas, and has practiced before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Brooke Liggett,
KPM, CPAs
Brooke is a CPA and manager with Kirkpatrick, Phillips & Miller CPAs in Springfield MO. As an Advanced QuickBooks Pro Advisor, with eight years experience in private accounting and over 12 years in public accounting; Brooke is able to help business owners with all aspects of running their businesses. Brooke has worked with businesses of all sizes from start-ups to large established companies here in the Ozarks. Brooke has her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business from Kansas State University and has lived in Springfield since 1991. Brooke has taken as active role in serving the Springfield community as the Board President for the Red Cross, Board Treasurer for the Alzheimer’s Association, Board Treasurer for the Junior League of Springfield and she is a graduate of Leadership Springfield. She is also a member of the Missouri Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Brooke was recognized in 2006 as one of Springfield’s 40 under 40.
Mike Renfer,
Allegiant Partners, LLC
Mike Renfer is President of Allegiant Partners, LLC. He has more than 33 years of experience in marketing, sales, manufacturing and general business management. Mike has done extensive work with program development in customer retention, customer development and direct data base marketing. Mikes previous work experience includes 20 years of brand and business building with Frenchs (a division of Reckitt Benckiser) and H.J. Heinz, including 12 years of operations management with H.J. Heinz Co. where his responsibilities included quality assurance, production and plant management. Mike was also a U.S. Naval Officer for 4 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Bethany College.
Ken Schultz, CPA, CVA
Schultz, Durham & Rapp, P.C.
Ken Schultz is the majority shareholder and President of Schultz, Durham & Rapp, P.C. He has over 25 years experience in public accounting, working with small to large businesses ranging in revenues from $250,000 to $250 million. Ken provides a full range of services to clients that includes management consulting, business valuations, corporate forecasting, auditing and tax planning for individuals, C and S corporations, partnerships, estates and trusts. He holds memberships in the American Institute of Public Accountants (AICPA), the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). Ken has been a CPA since 1979 and a Certified Valuation Analyst since 1999.
Lori Strawhun,
Springfield-Greene County Library District
Lori Strawhun is currently the Human Resources Director for the Springfield-Greene County Library District. Previously, she was the Corporate HR Director and Compliance Officer for Lastra America Corporation, a lithographic plate and chemistry manufacturer. Her experience there includes corporate growth, restructuring and merger / acquisition in a multi-national environment. She also worked as a Program Director at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles and Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. Lori is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and served on the Missouri State Council of the SHRM in 2007. She served as the 2007 President of the Springfield Area Human Resources Management and has served on numerous committees within that organization, since 1998. Lori was previously an advisory board member for BryanCollege and has volunteer resume reviews and mock interviews for students at OTC, Evangel and Vatterott. Lori holds a Bachelors of Science degree in social work with a minor in social research from Missouri State University. She has a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management with emphasis in organizational development from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. Lori holds both PHR and SPHR certifications.
Michael Wehrenberg,
Wehrenberg Design Group
Michael Wehrenberg is President of Wehrenberg Design Company, an Internet development and marketing firm. Wehrenberg Design Company was founded by Michael Wehrenberg during his junior year (1997) at Drury University and has continued to serve his clients with web design, maintenance and marketing services. By providing these services, Wehrenberg has met with great success. His client list has quickly grown to more than 100 businesses, including Seagate Technologies, Lambert's Caf, CJR Commercial Group, Bill Beall Co., Clary's, Community Partnership, Dameron Color Labs and Premier Auto Outlet. In 2001, Michael Wehrenberg was named one of Springfield Business Journal's 40 under 40. He is involved in local organizations like the Springfield Victory Mission, the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch and Springfield Rotaract. He is a member of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Michael also serves on the business advisory board for the Drury University SIFE Team and the only student-run business incubator in the country, DSIFE, Inc.
Robert J. Winnie,
The Winnie Group
Robert J. Winnie is President and co-founder of The Winnie Group, a marketing and advertising firm. Bob also owns Wild Bear Log Homes, which locally markets and sells cedar log homes. Prior to founding The Winnie Group in 1991, Bob was Senior Vice President for Noble & Associates. He has 30 years experience in marketing, advertising, manufacturing, and sales with national, regional and local companies. Bobs background includes strategic planning, new product development, program development and promotion planning. He has developed marketing programs for national brands such as Allen Canning, Jimmy Dean, Katahdin Cedar Log Homes, General Foods, Sara Lee and Tyson. His extensive marketing and sales experience includes work on the street, in the office and on plant floors. Bob earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business with a marketing emphasis from Ferris State University.