Hickman Named SBDC's 2003 State Star

SALISBURY, MD---John N. Hickman, eastern regional director of the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Salisbury University, recently was selected as the SBDC’s 2003 State Star.

Renee Sprow, state director of the SBDC, said she chose Hickman for being an exemplary performer, making a significant contribution to the SBDC program and showing a strong commitment to small business on the Eastern Shore.

“It is an honor to accept this award and to have the opportunity to help so many people achieve the dream of starting and succeeding in their own business,” Hickman said.

At the Maryland Eastern Region Office, which serves eight counties on the Eastern Shore, Hickman and his staff helped create 141 new jobs and secured $4.6 million in loans for 47 businesses during fiscal 2003. The office also helped open 21 new businesses, provided consulting services for 460 clients, provided training for 840, provided answers to 813 telephone requests,

America’s Small Business Development Center Network is a partnership uniting private enterprise, government, higher education and local non-profit economic development organizations nationally. 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, the SBDC network assists approximately 650,000 small businesses every year in face-to-face counseling and training, in addition to assisting hundreds of thousands more small businesses through fax-on-demand and e-mail.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.