Reading, Pa. native named to head Widener University Small Business Development Center in Chester.
CHESTER, Pa. (PRWEB) December 04, 2015
Widener University School of Business Administration and Dean Catherine Morgan announce the appointment of Lenin P. Agudo of Reading, Pa., as director of the Widener University Small Business Development Center (SBDC). His appointment takes effect Monday, Dec. 7.
Agudo most recently served as director of community and economic development for the City of Reading, Pa. Prior to that he served as director of the Kutztown University Latino Business Resource Center and as a consultant for Kutztown’s SBDC.
As director of the Widener SBDC, Agudo will lead efforts to provide Delaware County small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with a wide variety of free and confidential services and resources to help them start or grow small businesses in addition to educational workshops for a nominal fee. He will work closely with Widener University, which provides the Center with financial support in addition to graduate and undergraduate students to assist with serving the Center’s clients.
“I am very enthused to serve Delaware County’s entrepreneurs and to work with our students and regional economic development partners for the betterment of our region,” said Agudo. “I look forward to assisting the community as a partner and representative of Widener, which is an important anchor institution.”
During his four years of service in Reading, Agudo has been dedicated to downtown revitalization, creating a business-friendly City Hall and the City’s Economic Development Investment Map. These initiatives resulted in the City’s completion of financing for the Double Tree Hotel and the 27 Artist Housing apartments in addition to the attraction of the 46-unit Homes at Riverside housing development project.
“Agudo brings a rich blend of community economic development experience along with extensive work with small business development centers to our community,” said Dean Morgan. “He has a proven track record of success in economic development in addition to grant writing, growing small businesses and helping develop entrepreneurs He has bridged divides within communities and brings creative energy and enthusiasm to the Widener SBDC and our business students. He is a good match for Widener with our blend of academic excellence, civic engagement and experiential learning.”
“We are very excited to welcome Agudo back to the SBDC to continue serving the aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners of Delaware County,” said Pennsylvania SBDC State Director Christian Conroy. “Agudo’s credentials are well matched to lead the Widener University SBDC through its next chapter, and we thank Glenn McAllister for his many years of service to the SBDC,” he added.
Agudo holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from Pace University, a MBA from Kutztown University and a post-graduate certificate in economic development and growth from the University of Pennsylvania.
Agudo replaces Glenn McAllister as Widener SBDC director. McAllister, who is retiring at the end of December, has held the position since the Widener SBDC opened its doors in 2007. Under his leadership, the Widener SBDC has been the highest-performing SBDC in Pennsylvania for the past couple of years and earned the Small Business Administration’s 2013 SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region.
About Widener University SBDC
The Widener University Small Business Development Center, made possible through funding provided by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, provides Delaware County small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with a wide variety of services and resources to help them start or grow small businesses. For more information, visit the Widener SBDC website at http://www.widenersbdc.org. The Widener SBDC is one of 18 Small Business Development Centers in Pennsylvania and is an accredited affiliate of the national network of Small Business Development Centers.
About Widener University
Widener University is a private, metropolitan university that connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention, leadership development, and experiential learning are key components of the Widener experience. A comprehensive doctorate-granting university, Widener is comprised of eight schools and colleges that offer liberal arts and sciences, professional and pre-professional curricula leading to associate’s, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. The university’s campuses in Chester, Exton, and Harrisburg, Pa., and Wilmington, Del. are proud to be a tobacco-free. Visit the university website, http://www.widener.edu.
About Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)
The Pennsylvania SBDC network is the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training and information resources to empower new and existing businesses. SBDC consultants work with entrepreneurs in confidential, individualized sessions to help them with a range of business issues including testing a new business proposition, shaping a business plan, investigating funding opportunities, and much more. The SBDC program is a public/private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and 18 universities and colleges across the Commonwealth. For more information on the Pennsylvania SBDC services and impact, please visit http://www.pasbdc.org.
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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/12/prweb13114308.htm
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