community in Florida. This partnership will help facilitate programs, events, and mutual partnerships to serve qualified small manufacturing businesses and provide access to the network of Florida Small Business Development Centers and FloridaMakes manufacturing assistance programs.
FloridaMakes is a statewide, industry-led, public-private partnership operated by an alliance of Florida's regional manufacturers associations with the sole mission of strengthening and advancing Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity and technological performance of its manufacturing sector, with an emphasis on small- and medium-sized firms.
Established in 1976, the Florida SBDC Network is the state’s principal provider of business assistance. The network provides no-cost consulting, training, and research to help aspiring and existing small businesses launch, grow and thrive. As part of its service offering, the network employs more than 225 consultants and staff members, many of whom are previous business owners, to help businesses in all aspects of business - from business planning to exit planning.
The MOU was signed by Greg Britton, state director of the Florida SBDC Network, and Kevin Carr, CEO of FloridaMakes, in Orlando during a FloridaMakes Board of Directors meeting.
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Media Contacts:
Dianne Fazio (850) 898-3486 dfazio@uwf.edu
Frances Nevill
(407) 491-9543 frances.nevill@floridamakes.com
About the Florida SBDC Network: For more than 45 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy. In 2023, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 111,720 hours of consulting to 14,808 small business clients - resulting in business owners securing $346 million in capital, $575 million in government contracting, impacting 19,263 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.9 billion, and creating 1058 businesses. With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, hosted statewide by the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
About FloridaMakes: FloridaMakes is a statewide, industry-led, public-private partnership operated by an alliance of Florida's regional manufacturer associations and organizations that serve manufacturers. FloridaMakes’ sole mission is strengthening and advancing Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity and technological performance of its manufacturing sector, with an emphasis on small- and medium-sized firms. It accomplishes this by providing services focused on three principal value streams: technology adoption, talent development, and business growth. FloridaMakes is the representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network in the state of Florida, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. For more information, visit www.FloridaMakes.com.