StillFire and UGA SBDC Ignite Brewing Success

Putting UGA SBDC Resources to Use Law school opens the door to many possibilities. While sitting in his law school classes at the University of Georgia, Aaron Bisges, general manager at StillFire Brewing, never dreamed one of those possibilities would be opening a brewery after graduation. He worked at bars and restaurants throughout law school […]

A Passion for Cars and Partnership with the UGA SBDC Result in Thriving Business

Turning a Childhood Passion Into A Business After 20 years in the finance world, Steve Kanner was ready for a change. Thanks to some guidance from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Kanner accelerated his love for cars into a new career. “As a kid, I was always tinkering around with cars. […]

How Grandma’s Cookie Recipe Turned Into A Thriving Business

From Pharmaceutical Sales Representative to Cookie Baker In December 2015, Jonny Womack was in midst of a career change – having just returned to school to become a registered nurse after working as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Over the years, he had earned a reputation for bringing unique homemade cookies during his sales visits. “Right […]

Partnership with Fiserv expands small business assistance in metro Atlanta

Photo: Terence Strong (left), Business Consultant Sponsored by Fiserv; Donald Lamar (right), Area Director, UGA SBDC at Morehouse A generous two-year gift from Fiserv will fund the expansion of the UGA Small Business Development Center at Morehouse College through the addition of a new full-time business consultant.   “First and foremost, I want to thank […]

Team Clermont in Athens

UGA helped Team Clermont stay afloat after COVID-19 shut down live music venues and banned large gatherings   Nelson Wells has been promoting musical releases and musicians in Athens and beyond since 1997. When the pandemic hit, it threatened to shut his business down as well.     “People stopped spending money and activities in general just froze,” said Wells, whose company, Team Clermont, includes two full-time and two part-time employees […]

What Banks Look for When Deciding on a Business Loan

I spend a lot of time here at the SBDC working with clients on financial issues for their businesses.  A lot of the time, it involves applying for a business loan.  Folks often don’t have a good understanding of what a bank will be looking for when making a lending decision.   The basic idea […]