History

The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) was founded in September 1984. The SBTDC is the business and technology extension service of the University of North Carolina which oversees the 16 constituent institutions of the University system.  The SBTDC is administered by North Carolina State and operated in partnership with US Small Business Administration.

With a lead center located in Raleigh, NC, the SBTDC operates 10 regional service centers in 17 total offices, five specialty programs, and a management education services unit.  It operates as a single program statewide on a budget allocation basis as opposed to a contractual relationship with its regional centers and specialty programs, making it the most fully integrated SBDC program in the country. The SBTDC has a strong, consistent identity and is well recognized, both within North Carolina and nationally.  It is very actively engaged with the state’s economic development infrastructure, from local communities to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and Governor’s Office. 

Since 1986, the SBTDC has operated the Procurement Technical Assistance (PTAC) program in North Carolina. This Defense Department funded program provides $414,000 annually for government procurement related assistance.  DLA also requires the state to match the DLA dollars. In 1997, the SBTDC became the North Carolina city/state partner to the U.S. Export-Import Bank.  Though this program is not funded, the partnership has strengthened the SBTDC’s role as a leading international financing resource in the state.

Mission

The Small Business and Technology Development Center, North Carolina’s Business and Technology Extension Service, is committed to providing knowledge, education and other supportive resources that enable existing small and mid-sized businesses, emerging entrepreneurs and local/state leaders to innovate and succeed.  Through the experience and skill of SBTDC staff across our statewide network of 16 university-affiliated offices, we are able to reach and serve a diverse client base and quickly support their changing needs.   

Guiding Principles

• To be an organization that develops and delivers high quality, innovative, responsive services in a consistent and timely manner.
• To continually measure, evaluate, and report on the quality, productivity, and impact of the SBTDC.
• To advocate policies supporting small and mid-sized enterprises.
• To sustain and expand a highly interactive network of university-based professionals who leverage the vast resources of the UNC system.
• To provide a work environment that encourages excellence, professionalism, accountability, career-long learning and acknowledges and rewards high performance.