MICHIGAN EDITION 2019-2020 Small Business resource guide How to Grow Your BUSINESS in Michigan 1 2 CONTENTS Michigan Edition 2019-2020 Local Business Funding Assistance Programs 8 National Success Story 24 National Success Story Jerado and Joyce Reynolds Jennifer and Jeff Herbert’s know their local landscape for meadery has expanded into a entrepreneurship support. multimillion dollar enterprise thanks to SBA assistance. 11 Local SBA Resource Partners 27 SBA Lenders 13 Your Advocates 33 Need Financing? 14 How to Start a Business 34 Go Global with International Trade 17 Opportunities for Veterans 36 R&D Opportunities for 18 Entrepreneurial High Growth Startups Opportunities 38 National Success Story 20 Write Your Business Plan Cheeseburger Baby owner Stephanie Vitori persevered 22 Local Success Story through a financial storm and a Kathleen turned to the SBA to natural disaster. help her network and build her skills as a small 42 Surety Bonds business executive in the country’s transportation hub. Contracting 44 National Success Story Jennifer Rahn steers the course for Admiral Engineering, succeeding as a small business subcontractor. 47 Government Contracting 48 SBA Certification Programs 49 Woman-Owned Small Business certification ON THE COVER Kathleen Eberle, courtesy of Warehouse Properties, dba NPO Transportation 3 4 5 PUBLISHED BY New South Media, Inc. 304.413.0104 | newsouthmedia.com Loans PUBLISHER Nikki Bowman, [email protected] ASSOCIATE EDITORS Pam Kasey, [email protected] from the Jess Walker, [email protected] DESIGNER Hayley Richard, [email protected] OPERATIONS MANAGER Holly Leleux-Thubron, [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Heather Mills, [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES Meggan Hoyman, Kelley McGinnis, Bryson Taylor [email protected] Copyright: New South Media, Inc. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly prohib- ited without the express written permission of the publisher. © 2019 NEW SOUTH MEDIA, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Marketing & Customer Service directs the publication of the Small Business Resource Guide under SBA Contract #SBAHQ- 17-C-0018. SBA publication summer 2019 national edition #mcs-0089. WRITER/EDITOR SBA lender Becky Bosshart (202) 205-6677 [email protected] DIRECTOR OF MARKETING in our region. Paula Panissidi Tavares [email protected] The SBA’s participation in this publication is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of the contractor or any advertiser or other participant appearing here. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondis- criminatory basis. Directory listings do not constitute or imply an endorsement by the SBA of any opinions, products, or services of any private individual or entity. Printed in the United States of America. While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information con- tained here is accurate as of the date of publication, the information is subject to change without notice. The contractor that publishes this guide, the federal govern- ment, or agents thereof shall not be held liable for any damages arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained in this publication. huntington.com 6 SBA Michigan DistrictMcNamara Federal Building Office Grand Rapids Office 477 Michigan Ave., room 1819 Ford Federal Building Detroit, MI 48226 110 Michigan St. NW, room 307 (313) 226-6075 Grand Rapids, MI sba.gov/mi (616) 456-5512 @SBA_Michigan District Director Letter District Director Economic Development Constance Logan Specialists elcome to the 2019-2020 edition of the U.S. Small Business (313) 324-3602 Nancy Grose Administration Michigan Small Business Resource Guide. The SBA constance.logan@sba. (313) 324-3610 helps make the American dream of small business ownership a gov [email protected] Wreality. We are the only federal agency dedicated to helping our 30 million June Foyt small businesses start, grow, expand, or recover after a disaster. The Michigan Deputy District (313) 324-3608 district office and our Grand Rapids office work with an extensive network of Director business advisers and lenders to help Michigan’s 873,700 small businesses at Laketa Henderson [email protected] every stage of development. This number includes about 169,300 minority- (313) 324-3601 Sean Gray owned businesses. We’re proud to see that woman-owned businesses are one laketa.henderson@sba. (313) 324-3616 of the fastest growing segments. gov [email protected] Across Michigan in the last year, we empowered the state’s small businesses to: • Identify an ally, advocate or mentor via the 49 local locations of our SBA Senior Area Manager Lender Relations Resource Partners, which includes SCORE, Small Business Development Brian Picarazzi Specialist Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and the Veterans Business Outreach (616) 456-5512 Thomas McFadden Center, all powered by the SBA. [email protected] (313) 324-3611 • Access over $959 million in SBA-guaranteed loans using 151 local banks, thomas.mcfadden@ Public Affairs Specialist credit unions, community-based lenders, and microlenders. The business sba.gov Hodari Brown owners who qualified for SBA funding hired new employees, bought (313) 324-3629 Latifa Bradwell needed equipment, and built or renovated facilities. [email protected] (313) 324-3616 • Recover from severe storms and flooding in Bara, Iron, Keweenaw, and [email protected] Ontonagon counties in the Upper Peninsula by providing SBA disaster Lead Business assistance funding to homeowners, renters, and small business owners. Opportunity Specialist • Secure government contracts to serve the public and contribute to the local Thomas Vargo economy. Local 8(a) firms won more than $133 million in government contracts. (313) 324-3617 Stay up to date on SBA events near you and get valuable Michigan business [email protected] information by following us on Twitter at @SBA_ Michigan. Register for email updates at sba.gov/ Lead Economic updates. Use our Small Business Resource Guide Development to power your dream of starting, growing, or Specialist expanding your small business here in Michigan. Catherine Gase (313) 324-3609 Sincerely, [email protected] Constance Logan Michigan District Director U.S. Small Business Administration 7 LOCAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE How We Did It Made toJoyce and Jerado Last Reynolds used SBA support to succeed. Written by Micaela Morrissette COURTESY OF SHANA SURECK PHOTOGRAPHY SURECK SHANA OF COURTESY 8 LOCAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE eynolds Welding & Fabrication has grown steadily, building a loyal customer base, since Tips for Jerado Reynolds founded the company in 2005. Success R“At first the company was just Jerado,” recalls his wife and co-owner, Joyce 5 Find a great business mentor. Reynolds. “Then it was him and me part To find your local SBA office and time.” During the day she worked as a resource partners in your area, visit nurse and spent her evenings doing all sba.gov/localresources. the company’s paperwork. The Reynolds sank everything they earned into the business—money, time, and energy. She Have a healthy view remembers with pride helping Jerado of competition. weld a stair railing at a local school. Her COURTESY OF SHANA SURECK PHOTOGRAPHY SURECK SHANA OF COURTESY We’re not always competing. son later attended that same school, We’re a competitor, but if a similar and she watched her child and others SBA Resource Partner, where “from day business has extra work, they’ll send using the rail, benefiting from the one it was, Eureka! Everyone wanted it to us and vice versa. That’s the hard work the couple did together. It to see us win.” Women entrepreneurs relationship to have. was then Joyce decided as much as she receive essential business counseling and loved her day job, she wanted to devote training from this national network of herself full time to the family business community-based centers. Most helpful Record everything you do. in Windsor, Connecticut. She wanted was the detailed personal attention Navigating business relationships to work side-by-side with her husband, available through free one-on-one in this age means keeping an email fully focused on administration and record of everything you do. Leave a business counseling. Joyce also learned business growth. As they both hoped, clear paper trail. about workshops offered by providers like word of mouth spread; clients made the Metropolitan District, a Connecticut referrals. Joyce was soon overwhelmed nonprofit municipal corporation offering with paperwork. They brought on two water and sewer services. At a meet- Sacrifice to ensure quality. employees—doubling up in the busy We don’t cut corners. Sometimes you and-greet, Joyce understood how much seasons. They were able to maintain four have to lose money to do quality work— the SBA could help her business. An full-time employees by 2009. After this, it’s rough, but nothing is more important. SBA professional walked Joyce through Joyce says, they saw that “things were the extensive paperwork and, crucially, not moving.” She wanted to scale up. helped her register the company in Seek SBA assistance to Challenge the System for Award Management The company wasn’t growing in part (sam.gov), positioning the company for see if you qualify for because it wasn’t certified with the new federal contracts. business certifications. state department of transportation or “Resources like the Entrepreneurial We used to look for jobs. Now that prequalified with the Connecticut State Center and the SBA will train you from we’re on the SBA Subcontracting Department of Administrative Services, bottom to top,” Joyce says. “They have Network database, SubNet, and sam.gov, we have a continuous flow Joyce says. She decided to tackle the finance classes that open your eyes of contractors reaching out to us. certification problem full time, leaving regarding taxes. You'll learn how to her nursing career. This was the change register your business.