UAFS Named Newest Regional Location of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. 

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith recently received just over $78,000 in funding to launch the newest regional office of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. 

Funding for regional offices is provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration and administered by the lead center located at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dr. Latisha Settlage, Interim Dean of the College of Business, led efforts at UAFS to secure funding for the Fort Smith office and believes that the ASBTDC office will be an exceptional resource to the greater Fort Smith region, “UAFS and the College of Business are proud to support economic development in the River Valley through this partnership with ASBTDC. We look forward to engaging our faculty and students with the work of this business outreach center.”

The ASBTDC is dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs launch and develop businesses that in turn strengthen and sustain the economy and communities of Arkansas. In collaboration with fellow ASBTDC offices around the state, the Fort Smith regional office will work with all types of for-profit business, from home-based to high-tech. Serving Crawford, Sebastian and Scott counties, clients can receive one-on-one confidential consulting and cutting-edge market research at no charge. Businesses and entrepreneurs can also expand their expertise by participating in affordable educational events. 

The Fort Smith ASBTDC office joins two existing and successful UAFS business outreach units, the Center for Business and Professional Development, which provides customized training/consulting to meet company-specific needs, and the Family Enterprise Center, which offers family businesses a learning community. UAFS recently announced plans to relocate its business outreach services in fall 2021 from the Flanders Building on the UAFS main campus to the Bakery District at 70 S. Seventh St. in downtown Fort Smith.

The ASBTDC office will report to the UAFS College of Business and will officially open with the hiring of a new director. A search for the ASBTDC Director is currently underway, and a link to apply can be found here. A bachelor’s degree with significant course work in business is required along with direct experience with business planning, marketing and financial management. Prospective candidates should also have experience in preparing and analyzing financial statements.