SPOKANE – Three Certified Business Advisors with the Washington Small Business Development Center were presented with the Ron Battles Excellence Award this week.
The awards were presented by SBDC State Director Brett Rogers at individual ceremonies to Kathleen Purdy, Olympic Peninsula SBDC; John Rodenberg, Tacoma SBDC, and Zev Siegl, Highline Community College SBDC, in recognition of their quality service provided to clients in their SBDC service areas.
“Kathleen, John, and Zev were selected for this award based on a number of glowing client nominations, their individual bodies of work demonstrating commitment to excellence, and their ‘above & beyond’ approach to clients, to the community and to stakeholders at large,” Rogers said.
The Ron Battles Excellence Award was conceived as a means to honor the late Ron Battles’ legacy as a gifted business advisor and to recognize in others the same qualities Battles displayed in his nine-year career with the SBDC. Battles died in October, 2005, following a two-year struggle against cancer.
“I believe that Ron Battles would be extremely pleased that we are recognizing these three outstanding individuals for their strong commitment to excellence and client service,” said Rogers.
As certified business advisors, Purdy, Rodenberg and Siegl provide no-fee, confidential advising to clients on loan application packages, forecasting, all aspects of debt and equity funding, written business plans and much more.
Purdy has been with the Washington SBDC since 1995 serving the Olympic Peninsula. She has more than 30 years of experience as a consultant, entrepreneur and executive for large and small businesses.
Her major areas of counseling include feasibility analysis, business plan development, sources of financing, marketing, analysis of current business and development of long-term strategy, buying or selling a business and turn-around assistance.
Rodenberg,operates his center on the campus of Bates Technical College, brings more than 25 years of business experience to the Washington SBDC. He serves clients in Tacoma and Pierce County.
Rodenberg’s areas of specialization include: product development, manufacturing systems, process and quality improvement, financial projections, logistics, economic analysis and business planning.
Siegl,operates his center in Des Moines via a partnership between the Highline Community College and the Small Business Development Center, has been involved in small businesses for more than 20 years.
He served as turn-around leader for two small manufacturers, founded two medium-size gourmet coffee roasting companies and served as a marketing consultant to well-known corporations in the Puget Sound region.
The SBDC provides no-charge confidential advising and low-cost training to current and prospective business owners. It is a cooperative effort between Washington State University, Western Washington University, community colleges, economic development organizations, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
For more information on the mission and services of the SBDC visit the network Web site at http://www.wsbdc.org.
