Gov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed March 22 to be “SBDC Day” in Minnesota, recognizing the important role that Small Business Development Centers play in supporting more than 500,000 small businesses in the state.

DEED manages Minnesota’s SBDC network, which includes nine regional centers and 19 satellite centers around the state. They offer free one-on-one consultations in such areas as access to capital and loans, accounting, business planning, startup assistance and marketing. In addition, SBDC offices provide a wide variety of training programs at low cost.

The state’s Small Business Development Centers last year served 3,339 clients and provided 34,000 hours of one-on-one technical assistance. DEED officials said 227 new businesses were launched and more than 5,600 jobs created or retained because of those services.

The location of Minnesota’s Small Business Development Centers and details about programs and services are available on the DEED website. Here is their most recent annual report.

The U.S. Small Business Administration says jobs growth for SBDC clients is nearly 10 times greater than job growth for average businesses, and sales growth for clients is nearly four times greater than sales growth for businesses in general.

Minnesota joins other states in celebrating Small Business Development Centers during national SBDC Day, also on March 22. Read more about national SBDC Day activities at America’s SBDC.