(Above SBDC training) Some of the thousands of entrepreneurs assisted by the SBDC in the past four decades participate in a training session. (Below SBDC 4 directors) The last four SBDC directors, left to right, include Melissa Ray Roach (2023-2024), Michael Jessup (2025 to today), Greg Bouhl (2013-2022) and Ken Stoner (2022-2023). Photos provided.
July 09, 2025
SIU’s SBDC welcomes public to 40th anniversary celebration July 16
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is celebrating 40 years of helping new and growing businesses and everyone is invited to attend its anniversary event at 4:30 p.m. July 16, at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center.
“Our 40th anniversary represents far more than a milestone for the Illinois SBDC at SIU; it is a tribute to the small businesses and entrepreneurs who are the driving force behind Southern Illinois’ economy,” said Michael Jessup, director of the SBDC. “For four decades, we have been honored to stand alongside these innovators and job creators as they have launched, grown and strengthened our communities. Together, we have fueled economic growth, inspired new ideas and helped build a stronger, more resilient region.”
Special guests and speakers will highlight some of the countless success stories the center has fostered at 5 p.m. Among those will be SIU Chancellor Austin Lane, SIU System President Dan Mahony and Ericka A. White, state director of the Illinois SBDC Network. Plans also call for recognizing four businesses, one for each decade, that represent the hundreds who have received assistance from SIU’s SBDC. The businesses include:
- Hunan Asian Cuisine.
- Alto Vineyards
- 40 Below Joe.
- Rolling Oak Alpaca Ranch.
The event, which is free and open to the public with no preregistration required, will be held at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, 1740 Innovation Drive in Carbondale. The festivities will wrap up with refreshments by Mary’s Fine Dining.
The SIU’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Carbondale Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring the event.
Making a big impact
Since the SBDC opened in July 1985, it has provided thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs with vital resources, training, inspiration and guidance. Originally staffed that October by a director and small part-time staff, the center moved to SIU’s campus in July 1990 and has grown and thrived since. In the past decade alone, the SBDC has seen 4,416 unique clients offering advisement services resulting in 311 business startups and the creation of 842 jobs. The adviser team also helped clients obtain nearly $70 million in capital funding during the last decade, according to Jessup.
The SBDC has adapted through the years to meet the evolving needs of the business community, but the impact of the SBDC is perhaps no more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic era, when Jessup said it was truly put to the test. With so many restrictions, supply chain issues and other crises to handle, the SBDC staff developed new training, created fresh survey tools and found innovative ways to support the businesses.
“We served nearly 700 clients in 2020, one of the most uncertain times in recent history,” Jessup said. “That resilience and commitment to meeting challenges head-on remains at the heart of everything we do.”
Chosen as the 2024 Illinois SBDC of the year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the center hosts about 30 training events annually and provides more than 2,000 hours of individualized business counseling.
For more information about the Illinois SBDC at SIU, its anniversary celebration or its numerous services , visit the website, email sbdc@siu.edu or call 618-536-2424.