Your Guiding Light

Gina Wiertelak started The Grumpy Rabbit restaurant in her hometown of Lonoke. She wanted to revitalize downtown and expand local dining options but had no experience in the restaurant industry. Wiertelak worked with the ASBTDC at UA Little Rock more than a year on her idea, developing a business plan, utilizing the center's market research, and following the advice of her consultant. The restaurant has brought buzz and jobs to the rural community. At last count, Grumpy Rabbit had 43 employees.

Four institutions of higher education, including two community colleges and an HBCU, joined the ASBTDC network in 2021: ASU Mid-South, ASU-Mountain Home, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The new regional offices increase access to ASBTDC services for Arkansans wanting to start, strengthen, or grow a business. "We are thrilled to welcome each of these institutions to our network. Our long-time partnership with higher education is a proven delivery system for ASBTDC's entrepreneurial and small business services, and these new offices expand our reach into both rural and urban areas of the state," said State Director Laura Fine. The additions bring the number of ASBTDC offices to 13.

In 2021, 23 companies took part in ASBTDC's eight-week virtual Lab2Launch accelerator for first-time or previously unsuccessful SBIR/STTR applicants. After completing Lab2Launch, Children and Family Evaluation Services, LLC of Little Rock won a $49,712 STTR award from AFWERX. "Participating in the program shortened the time it would have taken for our small business to learn the SBIR process and get a proposal submitted," said CAFES owner Leanne Mausell. Each L2L cohort is led by ASBTDC's Rebecca Todd. "We would not have even known to apply for the AFWERX SBIR/STTR if it weren't for Rebecca Todd! Rebecca has been key in helping us find and connect to SBIR/STTR funding matched to our areas of interest," said CAFES' Alecia Hamilton.

Michael Hocklander's Springdale-based company Caribe Producers, maker of the first "made in the USA" Halal-certified beef jerky, formed an e-commerce export strategy for Five Star Jerky, the company's international flagship brand, with the help of the UA Fayetteville ASBTDC. Hocklander is targeting Middle East markets, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. ASBTDC is helping Caribe, an established Amazon seller, build a Five Star website to appeal to both domestic and international customers.

Abigail Speights (Grounded, Jonesboro), Kenyonna Zambrana (XOXO Impressions, Arkadelphia), and Jaci Tucker (Hippie Drip, online) worked with their local ASBTDC offices at Arkansas State, Henderson State, and Southern Arkansas University to start businesses in 2021. "The ASBTDC provided us with everything we needed and more, from demographic information to answering any question we could throw at them," said Speights.

SIEV Technologies of Fayetteville won a $256,000 National Science Foundation SBIR grant for a technology that turns corn fibers left over from the ethanol manufacturing process into material for making more ethanol. SIEV's innovation is reusable and environmentally friendly while existing means of converting the leftover fibers to useable material are either expensive, inefficient, or have environmental drawbacks. Helping SIEV succeed on its first SBIR attempt, ASBTDC innovation consultants "were invaluable throughout the whole SBIR application process," said CEO Davar Sasongko. SIEV is an example of ASBTDC's efforts to increase the number of Arkansas SBIR applicants and winners through its FAST-supported activities.

PPP, EIDL, AND OTHER COVID-ASSISTANCE FUNDING OBTAINED BY CLIENTS WITH ASBTDC HELP (303 SEPARATE PROJECTS)

VSL Aviation in Russellville is owned and operated by U.S. Air Force veteran Seth Lake and offers flight training, pilot services, and aircraft maintenance. Lake started his business in 2015 and became a client of the Arkansas Tech University ASBTDC soon after. In 2021, the growing business added staff to keep up with demand. The center helped him with questions about workforce training, government contracting, and implementing a payroll system.

With plans to build a new clinic and a need to boost her marketing during the pandemic, occupational therapist LaTeasha Gaither-Davis reached out to the ASBTDC. First, she participated in the Smart Growth Accelerator program through the A-State ASBTDC, where she developed a three-year strategic growth plan for her practice, Therapeutic Focus. She also utilized ASBTDC's Specialty Services to create a digital marketing strategy and for HR assistance to help her efficiently expand her workforce. ASBTDC business specialists and the new ASBTDC regional office at ASU Mid-South continue to serve as resources for Gaither-Davis, who broke ground on the new Therapeutic Focus location in July.

Marcos Santiago and his mother, Estela Luna, opened Dos Caminos Bakery in November 2021. The bakery's name comes from Luna's hometown, Dos Caminos, Guerrero, Mexico. They sell cakes, cookies, and more than 50 types of scratch-made Mexican breads and pastries. The Southern Arkansas University ASBTDC guided the family as they transitioned from a home-based operation to a retail location, helping with business planning, market research, and funding options. In addition, a bilingual ASBTDC business specialist provided services in Spanish and helped Santiago and Luna develop a marketing plan and brand for Dos Caminos.