Lisa Shimkat, state director of America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa, has been appointed the associate administrator of field operations for the U.S. Small Business Administration and the acting associate administrator for the Office of International Trade. Shimkat has led SBDC Iowa, which has 15 regional centers across the state, since 2014. Under her leadership, the regional centers have assisted more than 24,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners, supported the
SBDC Iowa
Two SBDC Iowa leaders receive national SBDC recognitions
Two SBDC Iowa regional directors, Michael Wampler and Jenica Johnson, have received awards from the national Small Business Development Center association America’s SBDC. Wampler, regional director of the SBDC location at Kirkwood Community College, is a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 Young Professionals Award. The award recognizes SBDC staff who demonstrate innovation, leadership and commitment to the SBDC mission. “Michael exemplifies what it means to be a small-business
2023 Iowa Veterans Entrepreneurship Conference set for June 2
Home Base Iowa, America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa, and the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University have announced the Iowa Veterans Entrepreneurship Conference. The conference is open to veterans, military personnel, their families and business partners, and community members who support veteran entrepreneurs and business owners. In addition to keynote speakers and breakout sessions, the event will feature a business pitch workshop during the welcome reception on
NIACC JPEC and SBDC hosting business planning workshop
The North Iowa Area Community College John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and the college’s Small Business Development Center are hosting a Business Transition Planning Workshop on Thursday, April 20. The event is designed for attorneys, banking associates, brokers, CPAs, business owners and community leaders and economic developers to attend. Christopher Proskey and James McCarthy of BrownWinick Law Firm and Al Lorenzen of the Business Brokers will speak about business transition strategies,
Two women to accept annual SBDC Iowa entrepreneurial awards Feb. 26
Two Iowa businesswomen will accept entrepreneurial awards by America’s SBDC Iowa later this month for their leadership as Small Business Development Center clients. Sara Winkleman, founder/owner of S&B Farmstead Distillery, is the 2019 Deb Dalziel Woman Entrepreneur Achievement Award winner, and Staci Ackerson, owner of Shankland Insurance, is the 2019 Neal Smith Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner. Winkleman, of Bancroft, was called a role model in her nomination for