11/09/09

 

Contacts:

 

Deb Duncan, Iowa Small Business Development Centers, (515) 294-0021, dduncan@iastate.edu

 

AMES, Iowa — Two dedicated men have been working tirelessly for twenty-five years helping Iowa’s businesses, and Iowa’s economy, grow and prosper.

 

Paul Heath, Regional Director of The University of Iowa Small Business Development Center, Iowa City, and Bryan Ziegler, Regional Director of the Indian Hills Community College Small Business Development Center, Ottumwa, have been assisting Iowa’s entrepreneurs and small business owners since October 15, 1984 and November 1, 1984, respectively.  

 

Together the two men have counseled nearly 20,000 entrepreneurs and business owners. Their two regional centers have held over 650 training workshops that educated almost 13,500 business people. That is roughly 33,500 entrepreneurs in Iowa that these two men have assisted.

 

Jim Heckmann, State Director of the Iowa Small Business Development Centers, says, “These two men personify the dedication of Small Business Development Center directors. They have each had a phenomenal influence on economic development in Iowa over the years. Their contributions have been quiet, yet extraordinarily effective.”

 

Lynn Allendorf, Managing Director of the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory in the University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, adds more praise about Heath, “Paul is a quintessential professional. During the course of his career as director of The University of Iowa Small Business Development Center, Paul has assisted literally thousands of business owners to start and grow their businesses. He has tirelessly worked to further the cause of small business and economic development in the region and state.”

 

Mick Lawson, Assistant to the President for College and Industry Relations at Indian Hills Community College, has this to say about Ziegler’s accomplishments, “Bryan’s work over the last 25 years with prospective entrepreneurs and small business owners has had a profound effect on economic development in our region. He is as excited about his work today as he was the day he started with the SBDC, and his efforts will continue to benefit this part of the State for years to come.”

 

Celebration receptions will be held for Ziegler and Heath in Ottumwa on November 24^th and Iowa City on December 9^th, respectively. 

 

The Iowa Small Business Development Centers are an outreach program of Iowa State University’s College of Business. Partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the organization has 15 regional business assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since program inception in 1981, the organization has provided expert, confidential business counseling and affordable, practical training workshops to hundreds of thousands of Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs.

 

For more information on Iowa Small Business Development Center programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org.

 

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