Welcome to the Rural Business Program

IED Programs

Our Programs Institute Home Page The Institute for Economic Development's diverse programs facilitate economic, community and business development at the local, regional and national level. Click on a specific program for detailed information.			SBDC Rural Business Program Capacity building Community assessments Business advisory services Business planning SBDC National Information Clearinghouse Market research for SBDC counselors Online learning Industry research and trends Southwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center Eligibility criteria for trade adjustment assistance Advocacy for manufacturing and service firms Services in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana Gulf Oil Spill Assistance: GOSDAA Startech Technology commercialization Enterprise formation Access to capital
South-West Texas Border SBDC Network One-on-one business counseling Research and market analysis Business skills training Ten locations in South, Central and West Texas San Antonio Small Business Development Center Confidential, 1-on-1 business counseling Business planning Financial analysis Loan packaging assistance Leadership and business training	SBDC Contracting Resource Center Business contractor services Employer services Veterans services Networking opportunities Women owned small business program Energy Saving Solutions Program (eS2) Sustainable business services SBDC International Trade Center Global trade consulting Market research Global business skills training Trade platform: SBDCGlobal.com	MBDA Business Center Management training and consulting Market research and strategic planning Government contracting and minority certifications Center for Community and Business Research Impact and feasibility studies Economic development research Market research Eagle Ford Shale Community Development Program Community Assessments and Outreach Economic Research Community Planning Management and Strategic Implementation

IED Services

How do I start a business?: Workshops and training; Confidential business advising; Market research and analysis; Access to capital; Customized services for veteran-owned, minority-��owned businesses; Technology Commercialization

How do I grow my business?: Strategic planning; Leadership development; Import competition; Loan application assistance; Employee management; B2B networking; Emerging markets; International trade

How can I help my community improve our economy?: Community needs assessment; Sustainable business planning; Emergency preparedness; Rural business development; Economic impact studies; Retail trade analysis; Capacity building; Market research and analysis

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Rural Business Program

UTSA's Rural Business Program is a specialty center affiliated with the University of Texas San Antonio’s South-West Texas Border Small Business Development Center Network, a 79-county service area that covers the Gulf Coast of Texas as well as South and West Texas. Rural communities in the network area have been principally agricultural based.

Today, rural communities are dealing with job loss, population loss, declining tax base, and loss of youth impacting the potential for future leadership and innovation.

Our focus is to help reverse these trends by providing rural communities and small to medium-sized businesses with technical assistance to help them grow, develop and create new jobs.

The Rural Business Program accomplishes these goals by:

* acting as a consulting firm for small businesses and communities, providing services for free or at-cost. The program has 12 Rural Business Advisors in the field acting. It’s these advisors, our “boots and heels on the ground,” who work with communities to plan for a better future and implement these plans.

* leveraging assets from within the Institute for Economic Development (iedtexas.org) and the university (utsa.edu), such as the colleges of Architecture and Public Policy.

* working with strategic partners such as United States Department of Agriculture in our development approach, thereby reducing redundancy in efforts to maximize the programs’ funding.
How can we help your rural community grow, develop and create new jobs? Call us at 210 458-2046.