Making an Impact on the Small Business Community
Below are stories and examples of how the Hill Library has made a positive impact on the small business community at large. If you have a story about how the Hill Library has helped you we'd love to hear it. Please click here to share your story.
In My Own Words Series
These are stories, written by library customers and clients, revolving around how the library has directly impacted their business.
From Amy Keth - Business Consultant, Small Business Development Center, Clarion University of Pennsylvania
The James J. Hill Reference Library is an excellent resource utilized by the Clarion University Small Business Development Center (SBDC). As an SBDC, our mission is to assist pre-venture and existing small businesses in competing and growing in today’s competitive global economy. When entrepreneurs come to the SBDC for assistance, we need to obtain relevant and detailed information that will allow our clients to make sound business decisions and create a quality business plan.
In 2007, we assisted 86 clients in securing financing for projects totaling more than $19.6 million.
The James J. Hill Reference Library is the resource that we turn to first when conducting research for clients. In addition, we utilize the Hill Library for analyzing target markets and finding prospective customers for our clients. The HillSearch databases are user-friendly, and if problems are encountered in researching data, the Reference Desk at the Hill Library is efficient and timely in remedying the situation. The quality of the information we obtain from the Hill Library is impeccable and allows us to provide good service.
Amy Keth
Business Consultant
Small Business Development Center
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Sheila Johnson - U of WI Whitewater
Information made available through the James J. Hill Reference Library was a critical component supporting our successful application for grant dollars. Our application, which asked for support for a Community Innovation project, was granted based in part on the data the Library made available to us. We rely heavily upon the research resources the Library offers to not only secure grants of this type but also successfully execute those grants and provide a deliverable that will meet and exceed our funding sources' expectations.
We salute the James J. Hill Research Library as one of the finest information repositories in the world, and we look forward to accessing your records for years to come.
Sheila Johnson
Office/Business Manager
Center for Innovation and Business Development University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Colleen O'Brien - HousingLink
We began working with the Hill Center for Ethical Business Leadership in late 2007 when we retained them to help HousingLink clarify its strategic direction as an organization. The engagement was extremely successful, and our current work with the Hill Center, in the areas of organizational development and business planning, continues to provide benefits for HousingLink.
HousingLink is a nonprofit organization; our mission is to connect people and communities to information that supports the resolution of their affordable housing issues.
Our work with the Hill Center has enabled us to align our strategy with both our mission and the very real challenges of economic sustainability. Our subsequent strategic planning and operations have been meaningfully informed by the work we’ve done together. The Hill Center consultants brought relevant business expertise as well as impressive sensitivity to HousingLink’s culture and mission orientation. In fact, we were particularly impressed by the way that the Hill Center consultants have gotten to know our organization, and by their commitment to being a valuable partner to our organization. Our work with the Hill Center has truly been a productive collaboration.
Colleen O’Brien, President
Carrie Rocha, Chief Operating Officer
HousingLink