We're big on small business.

UEC Electronics Experiences Amazing Growth

By Bill Henley

The wall of photographs tells the story.

Like parents scratching lines on a doorjamb to mark the growth of a child, Rebecca and Philip Ufkes can see the progress their Hanahan-based company has made just by looking at the company photos hanging in the hallways of UEC Electronics.

Phil and Rebecca Ufkes of UEC Electronics

Starting with the 1995 photo of five people standing in front of their original building, the historical growth of the company is reflected in the ever-increasing number of people crowding into subsequent pictures – from nine people in 1999 to 17 in 2000 to 32 in 2006. In the 2010 staff picture, the building is barely noticeable behind the heads of nearly 100 employees who have squeezed into the shot.

Read more...

SBDCs Essential in South Carolina’s Economic Development

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Small Business Administration’s national network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) plays an essential role in the economic development of their states and local communities through their direct, face-to-face counseling for small businesses, according to a report released today by the SBA. The report, produced by the National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board, focuses on SBDCs’ impact on small business access to SBA’s programs and services, including access to SBA capital, procurement, disaster and international trade programs.

“SBA’s Small Business Development Centers give new and growing small businesses the resources they need throughout the year to grow and create jobs,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “The soundness of our economy depends on stable small businesses across the country and SBDCs are front and center helping entrepreneurs start, grow and expand their companies. These institutions reflect the diversity and individuality of their nearly 900 home towns and play an active and vital role in those.”

The report confirms that SBA’s SBDC program remains an essential part of the agency’s mission to help small businesses. The report, The SBDC Program: An Indispensable Partner in America’s Economic Development, demonstrates statistically the prolonged impact that SBA-funded SBDCs have on the formation and growth of small businesses.

Read more...