CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC) recently announced that SBDC Business Coach Donna Schramm has been named West Virginia’s 2023 State Star.
“Donna Schramm’s selection as the 2023 State Star recognizes her exemplary performance and commitment to the small businesses of West Virginia,” Steve Johnson, state director for the WV SBDC, said. “Donna provides her clients with expert business coaching that has resulted in increased access to capital, job creation, and enhanced efficiencies. She continues to be an invaluable resource to her clients and the entire WV SBDC network. Donna’s leadership, strategic thinking, and energy are crucial to our network’s overall performance and success.”
Schramm joins the ranks of honorees from each state that will be recognized at America’s SBDC National Conference in Nashville.
The criteria for State Stars include the following:
- Being an exemplary performer
- Making a significant contribution to their state or SBDC program
- Showing a strong commitment to small businesses
“It has been a privilege to guide and advise entrepreneurs from the conception of their idea to implementation and expansion. I have learned so many things from the amazing small business owners I have worked with, and I’m humbled to pass that knowledge and experience to others,” Schramm said.
Schramm has been a small business coach with the WV SBDC for 24 years. She is a two-time recipient of the America Small Business Development Center (ASBDC) State Star award, the first in 2009. She has held multiple positions with the SBDC and currently is the Northern Regional Coordinator, working with the other business coaches in north-central West Virginia. She assists small business clients and resource partners through one-on-one coaching, training, and spearheading community events with local agencies.
She has a Business Administration degree with a specialization in finance from West Virginia University, is a Certified Business Advisor, and holds an Export and Trade Counseling Certificate.
She and her husband own and operate two small businesses in their hometown of New Martinsville, WV. She also stays busy keeping up with her two teenagers and their activities.
She is part of the West Virginia SBDC statewide network of business coaches who provide confidential one-on-one consulting for small businesses interested in starting and growing in the Mountain State.
WV SBDC is an accredited member of America’s SBDC, a federal partner with the SBA, and a division of the WV Department of Economic Development.
WV SBDC business coaches have professional certifications ranging from exporting, innovation, technology and economic development, to finance, management, marketing and entrepreneurship.
For more information about WV SBDC services and WV SBDC coaches, visit wvsbdc.com.
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