PLYMOUTH, N.H. — Plymouth State’s Small Business Institute “provides high quality business consulting to small business clients requesting assistance, while providing an extra ordinary learning experience for college and university students through the field case consulting model,” as quoted in their brochure. In other words, students get excellent hands on learning by developing business models for instate businesses pro bono (free). Typical SBI case reports address critical business issues, including: business development and growth plans, market research and market development plans, financial plans, and marketing program plans.
Plymouth’s SBI has been an award winning program for 25 years; recently they took home #1 in the northeast region for both the comprehensive and specialty categories. On a national level, SBI took second place in both categories.
Craig Zamzow, (MBA, CSBC) director of SBI, explains why his organization has received so many acknowledgments. “The quality of our MBA students is superior because they are almost all working professionals. They bring that experience to the SBI project.” For the last four years, total, SBI has earned one national award and four runner-ups.
Zamzow says, “This kind of outreach program is an example of why we’re about to be called a university. We get recognition, and provide free, real help to the community to stimulate economic development. SBI allows students to apply their education to a real world project, working with any small business in state.”
Hannah Grimes Marketplace, a NH goods specialty store located on Main Street in Keene, received consulting services and a field case study courtesy of SBI. After analyzing in detail the retail operations, a team of SBI students developed a financial model for managing inventory and other aspects of business. The report provided by SBI supplied many recommendations for improving inventory turnover and increasing revenues for profitability. The PSC SBI Case of the Year Competition deemed this certain report Best Case of 2001-2002. Mary Ann Kristiansen, the client contact, was “pleased beyond words with the professionalism of the student consulting team and quality of their report.”
“SBI allows students to apply their education to a real world project,” states Zamzow. Senior undergrads with a minimum 3.5 GPA or any graduate student may register to become a part of the SBI program. Worth either three or six credits, SBI course numbers follow: BU550 Small Business Problems and Strategy; BU-563 Policy Topics–Small Business.