Sacramento State’s Center for Small Business (CSB) is an instrumental link between the university and the local business community, benefiting both businesses and the students who serve them. Through the CSB and under faculty supervision, College of Business students provide free technical management assistance to regional businesses, nonprofits and government agencies.
Founded in 1969, the CSB is one of the oldest and largest university-based centers of its kind nationwide. In its 53-year history, the CSB has served more than 2,000 businesses and agencies throughout the region.
“Each semester, we work on about 50 projects with about 35 local organizations, most often nonprofits and startups,” says Dr. Evren Eryilmaz, associate professor and CSB director. “Businesses seeking assistance may apply on our website, and though our services are in high demand, we accommodate as many projects as possible.”
“This hands-on learning experience is a valuable opportunity, and students who manage these projects well are readily hired by top companies.” — Dr. Evren Eryilmaz, Director
Students are assigned to client projects as part of coursework for their various business classes. Dedicated teams of these talented young business minds — overseen by experienced faculty — help businesses achieve their objectives free of charge. Most commonly, projects address social media marketing, website and mobile application development, business analytics, and supply chain management needs.
“All students, regardless of the type of project, learn how to communicate with their business end-users, a critical skill in the business world,” Eryilmaz says. “This hands-on learning experience is a valuable opportunity, and students who manage these projects well are readily hired by top companies. With their CSB experience, many graduates have also gone on to launch consulting businesses on the side.”
Looking to the future, Eryilmaz would like to increase CSB capacity to serve even more clients. He concludes, “With in-person gatherings possible again, I’m eager to arrange community outreach events in which satisfied clients could relate their CSB experiences. I also look forward to working with agencies such as Sacramento Valley SBDC and SCORE Mentors Sacramento to introduce our services to even more organizations in need.”
