CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC) Business Coach Sharon Stratton recently attended the America’s SBDC National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was named West Virginia’s 2024 State Star award winner.
Pictured: (Left to Right) Sharon Stratton, West Virginia’s 2024 State Star award winner and Will Miller, WV SBDC Deputy Director
“Sharon’s stellar performance and commitment to West Virginia’s small businesses has made her a vital resource to the WV SBDC,” said WV SBDC Director, Steve Johnson. “Her selection as the 2024 State Star recognizes her high performance in assisting her clients and enhancing the overall performance of our entire network of business coaches.”
Stratton joins the ranks of honorees from each state recognized at America’s SBDC National Conference.
“As an entrepreneur, it’s important to be a lifelong learner. This is necessary to be successful in a challenging business environment,” said Stratton.
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
Stratton has been a small business coach with the WV SBDC for more than 30 years, holding multiple positions within the agency. She is a three-time recipient of the America Small Business Development Center (ASBDC) State Star award, the first in 2016. She was also an instructor at the ASBDC conference this year.
Stratton assists small business clients and resource partners through one-on-one coaching, training and spearheading community events with local agencies. She has played a pivotal role in helping to keep West Virginia’s small businesses strong, helping numerous small businesses obtain funding and develop business plans.
Stratton holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Frostburg State University in Maryland and earned the Certified Business Advisor (CBA) Graduate Business Certificate from Kent State University. She is a lifelong learner and enjoys biking, hiking in the mountains and photography. She is part of the West Virginia SBDC’s statewide network of business coaches, who provide confidential, no-cost one-on-one consulting for small businesses interested in starting and growing in the Mountain State.
WV SBDC, an accredited member of America’s SBDC, is funded in part by the SBA and is 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.