Roger Luman Award for SBDC

This year’s 2016 Roger Luman Program Excellence Award was presented to the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Governors State University for their Heels of Business Breakfast and Peer Coaching at the Illinois Entrepreneurship & Small Business Growth Association (IESBGA) annual conference. The award is presented to one center in the state whose program embodies Mr. Luman’s dedication to supporting small businesses in their communities.

Participants in the Heels of Business Breakfast and Peer Coaching receive valuable information regarding free resources and services currently available through the SBDC, its affiliates, and its partners. With the support of Dr. Elaine Maimon, GSU President, and Dr. Ellen Foster Curtis, Dean of the College of Business, along with clients and partners, the Heels of Business Breakfast and Peer Coaching has evolved into an annual event reaching over 250 participants.

The inception of the Heels of Business Breakfast was formed with the help of GSU students Denea Beale and Arriahn Tucker, who worked with the Center’s staff to provide an opportunity for women to widen their network and develop productive business partnerships.When asked about her contribution to the program, Beale said “We saw a need and fulfilled it the best we knew how with the Heels program. It was an excellent opportunity for me, as a GSU student, to contribute my opinions and have my superiors execute them,”

Priscilla Cordero, Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Governors State University, is proud of the dedication of her team which led to the success of the program. “What I’m most proud of is that launching the program was a team effort between staff and GSU students. They worked diligently to help make this program happen.”

The Roger Luman Program Excellence Award was created to recognize programs offered by SBDCs throughout the State of Illinois who demonstrate innovation, measurable best practices, and outstanding delivery. Recipients of this award are recognized for their particular programs created to meet a specified need and not necessarily the compilation of services rendered. As a result of receiving the 2016 Roger Luman Program Excellence Award, the Heels of Business Breakfast and Peer Coaching program will be replicated and used to promote the excellence of Illinois small business assistance programs to businesses throughout the state.