South Carolina Small Business Development Centers

Vivian and John “Eric” Smith, owners
JES Restaurant Equipment Sales & Service

Vivian and Eric Smith

JES: Cooking up customer satisfaction through plain, simple hard work Eric Smith entered the commercial refrigeration industry with a clear goal in mind: to improve the state of preventative maintenance in the Greenwood, SC area. Having worked in maintenance for an industrial company for 21 years, Smith understood the importance of maintaining equipment. He started with one customer who had four restaurants. He earned a degree in HVAC and his business grew to more than 20 customers in two years.

All this he did while holding down a full-time job. When he was sure there was a need for this type of service he quit his job and started JES with $8,000 and a truck. Today, JES includes a global company that sells every type of restaurant equipment – from ice machines and coolers to fryers and slicers. Smith’s wife Vivian runs their Inte

News Archive

SBA Says: Tell Us Your Story!

Winning videos to be highlighting during National Small Business Week

WASHINGTON - Do you have a small business story to tell? Every business has one. Tell your story to the SBA and your video may appear at National Small Business Week, SBA’s marquee event that attracts hundreds of small business owners, Fortune 500 company executives, Members of Congress and Obama Administration officials.

In celebration of National Small Business Week 2012, SBA is looking for creative videos from small businesses that show how they have been helped by an SBA program or service. The contest will raise awareness of the importance of SBA programs, and the impact the small businesses that use them have in their local communities.

Three winning videos will also be shown during a Google+ Hangout hosted by the SBA and the White House with SBA Administrator Karen Mills on May 23. The winners can also participate in the event with Administrator Mills, while she answers questions from small businesses a