Sedalia, Missouri – Feb. 18, 2020 – The University of Missouri Extension – Business Development Program (MOSBDC) at its annual celebration on Jan. 29 recognized Kelly Asbury, State Fair Community College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) director, for two accomplishments for the recent fiscal year.
Asbury was ranked in the Top 5 Greatest Impact Generation: Business Starts and in the Top 5 Highest Number of Training Sessions Held.
The MOSBDC helps business owners make confident decisions to start, grow and promote their businesses. Services are provided to all Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis in the form of training events and one-to-one counseling by appointment.
Asbury is responsible for providing encouragement and access to training and resources to help Missourians identify and develop their ideas to successfully start and grow their businesses. From her office on SFCC’s Sedalia campus, Asbury serves the citizens in 12 counties: Bates, Benton, Camden, Cass, Henry, Hickory, Johnson, Lafayette, Morgan, Pettis, Saline, and St. Clair. Asbury coordinates on-site seminars and training that covers topics from how to start and manage a small business to how to market and use social media to grow it.
Asbury joined the Missouri SBDC team in 2017, which is a part of SFCC’s The LearningForce office that coordinates community continuing education and workforce training initiatives. During her tenure with the SBDC, she has achieved great success. Last year, she was named the 2019 Missouri SBDC State Star and has received other awards for her small business development work. Asbury graduated from SFCC in 2001 with an Associate of Arts and received a Bachelor’s in Management in 2013 from Central Methodist University. She has more than 25 years of experience in owning and managing small businesses.
Through a partnership between the Small Business Administration, Missouri University Extension Business Development program, and State Fair Community College, the MOSBDC is able to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost trainings to small businesses within the 12 counties Asbury serves. She has assisted clients in acquiring just under $6 million in loans/capital, creating 101 jobs, starting of 33 new business, counseling 328 clients, and providing 128 trainings for 912 participants since she joined the MOSBDC.
For more information about SBDC, contact Asbury at kasbury1@sfccmo.edu or (660) 596-7350.
