SPOKANE, Wash.Celia Nightingale was presented the State Star award at a special awards reception at the America’s Small Business Development Center’s (ASBDC) 29th Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., honoring State Stars.
“I was pleased to make the presentation and to recognize Celia Nightingale for extraordinary contributions to the work of the Washington SBDC and small business in Washington. Celia’s additional efforts beyond assisting her clients were to take key roles in the network’s strategic planning and community outreach efforts, making her stand-out as a true star in our statewide network of 24 offices,” said Brett Rogers, Washington SBDC State Director.
Nightingale is the certified business advisor at the South Puget Sound Community College Small Business Development Center in Lacey which is co-located with the Thurston County Economic Development Council. During 2008, Nightingale worked with more than 180 small business clients, helping them access more than $4 million in funding, create or retain 67 jobs and realize their dreams for starting or growing their own business.
“It is an honor to accept this award,” said Nightingale, “and to have the opportunity to help so many people achieve the dream of starting and succeeding in their own business.”
The ASBDC is a partnership uniting private enterprise, government, higher education and local nonprofit economic development organizations. It is the Small Business Administration’s largest partnership program, providing management and technical assistance to help Americans start, run and grow their own businesses. With about 1,000 centers across the nation, America’s SBDC network provided business consulting to approximately 200,000 clients, training for more than 400,000 attendees, and other forms of management and technical assistance to approximately 600,000 small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs last year.
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, 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: https://www.wsbdc.org.
