Mary Collins, state director of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, accepts the "Good Citizens" Award from Citizens Bank.

DURHAM, N.H. - The New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, an outreach program of the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics, has been awarded the "Good Citizens" Award from Citizens Bank.

Mary Collins, state director of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, recently accepted the award, which the bank presents to individuals and organizations for their leadership, vision and outstanding commitment to the state of New Hampshire.

Cathy Schmidt, president of Citizens Bank, New Hampshire, praised the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center for providing support and guidance to entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout the state for more than 25 years.

From its four regional centers and several satellite locations across the state, as well as an e-Learning program, the organization provides management counseling and educational programs to 3,000 business owners in approximately 200 New Hampshire communities each year. 

"The work done by this agency has a profound impact on the overall economic health of our state. For example, after five years, 80 percent of the companies counseled by the organization are still in business.  In addition each of the business counselors helps to create and sustain up to $17 million in New Hampshire wages annually," Schmidt said.

In 2008 the organization launched its e-Learning program, which offers 21 business courses and online tools for small businesses. More than 1,500 online courses have been completed by New Hampshire business owners since the program started. The SBDC's most recent online course, "Starting a Business in New Hampshire," provides information and resources specifically tailored for operating a business in the Granite state.

"In a state like New Hampshire that is so dependent on small businesses to keep its economy strong, and at a time when the economic environment is placing increased pressure on small business owners, the Small Business Development Center is successfully supporting this important business sector. We are proud to commend Mary and her team for their dedication and efforts," Schmidt said.

The NH Small Business Development Center provides confidential business management consulting and educational programs to New Hampshire's small businesses. The NH SBDC is the only NH agency that has full-time certified business advisors providing one-on-one, long-term, management consulting to small businesses. NH SBDC is a cooperative venture with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New Hampshire (DRED), the University System of New Hampshire, and the private sector. For more info on NH SBDC, visit www.nhsbdc.org.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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Mary Collins, state director of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, accepts the "Good Citizens" Award from Citizens Bank.
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