Mike Heen has been named the new director of the Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
St. Cloud State University and the Herberger Business School (HBS) serve as the host institution for the center, which is federally funded by the Small Business Administration.
“St. Cloud State and the Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center have a history of supporting small businesses that dates back nearly 50 years,” said HBS Interim Dean Christine Lepkowski. “The SBDC is a free resource that helps grow small businesses, positively impacting the community and the region’s economic growth.”
Heen, who began his role as SBDC director earlier this month, has over 15 years of experience working with small businesses as a lender in his hometown of Williston, North Dakota, along with time working directly with the SBDC in St. Cloud.
“I’ve always had a great amount of respect for the SBDC,” Heen said. “My favorite part about being a commercial lender was helping small businesses get going. I get the most fulfillment from seeing new entrepreneurs have success.”
The SBDC has a long tradition of helping individuals start successful businesses. It has served 850 unique clients since 2022, helping 27 new businesses get started and infuse $17 million into the region.
Over 11,000 hours of consulting services have been provided, which is performed by local consultants from a wide variety of business backgrounds.
“We help write business plans, perform financial forecasts, help prepare them to talk with the bank for financing and act as an advisor for them so they’re able to get their business started,” Heen said.
In the early 1970s St. Cloud State was the first college or university in Minnesota to establish a Small Business Institute, and in the late 1970s the Small Business Administration chose St. Cloud State as the location for one of sixteen Small Business Development Centers in the nation.
Today the SBDC is one of nine regional offices throughout Minnesota, serving Stearns, Benton, Sherburne and Wright counties, along with parts of Mille Lacs and Morrison counties.
“The goal that I have with the SBDC is to make us the first resource of referral for an entrepreneur, business owner or bank,” Heen said.
If you’re in need of business assistance, visit the SBDC’s website or visit their new location on the lower level of the James W. Miller Learning Resources Center on SCSU’s campus.
