The Reporter - Financial File - Week of December 17

The Reporter - Financial File - Week of December 17: "Article Launched: 12/17/2006 07:59:49 AM PST

Small business success lauded

Solano College Small Business Development Center consultant Charlie Monahan has been awarded third place in a national client success story contest sponsored by the Association of Small Business Development Centers.

Monahan and his client, Dean Bowen of Net-Flow Corporation, were recognized at the association's annual conference in Houston, Texas.

Bowen has been working with the Solano College SBDC and Napa Valley College SBDC since 2003 and participated in the NxLeveL Entrepreneurial Training Program - an intensive 10-week, 40-hour small business training program specifically designed for business owners who are positioning their business for expansion and future success.

Independent economic impact studies show that existing businesses that participated in the NxLeveL program see a 28 percent increase in sales, and on average, create 1.3 additional jobs within one year of graduation. A third party evaluation showed that firms with less than $200,000 in sales experienced a 200 percent increase in gross sales within the first year of graduating, officials said. Further, of those graduates not already in business, 40 percent go on to start a new venture.

For more information, call 864-3382 or visit www.solanosbdc.org."