Jorge Rey retired from federal service two years ago with a plan to move into the world of small business. He credits the Southwest Virginia Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) with moving him in the right direction.

“I started Beartown Film Bureau on my own and then connected with the SBDC for guidance,” he says. “Margie Douglass, Southwest SBDC Director, walked me through the steps for starting a business.”

Jorge found the SBDC while searching for business advice online, and scheduled his first consultation shortly afterwards.

“After hearing my ideas, Margie and her team crafted their services to show me how to be successful in getting government contracts,” he adds.

Jorge previously tested his small business idea by offering free services to community non-profits, which were primarily story-based informational videos. With SBDC assistance, he was able to transition his business opportunities from pro-bono to paid.

“Margie connected me with the Virginia PTAC, an APEX Accelerator, funded by the Department of Defense,” Jorge says.

Together the SBDC and PTAC walked Jorge through the process to become certified as a Veteran-Owned Small Business and enrolling in the U.S. government’s System for Award Management (SAM.gov) to become eligible for federal contracts. SBDC and PTAC also assisted him in achieving HUBZone certification, a program that awards federal contracts to small businesses in underutilized business zones.

“It was a complex process, but they decoded it and gave me the confidence to present myself as a viable vendor,” he notes. “Margie showed me how it all works. Without the SBDC’s help, there’s no way I could have accomplished what my business is today.”

Within two months, Jorge landed his first contract with a government organization. He also received the 2023 Best Video Series for an Attraction (of the Burke’s Garden Artisan Guild) at the Virginia Tourism Summit in Wytheville, a huge accomplishment for a new business

“I consider the SBDC to be my secret weapon,” he concludes. “Their guidance allowed me to move forward with confidence. I would have been dead in the water without the SBDC.”