Phydesia Lewis, Director of ACC’s Small Business Center, was presented with The North Carolina Community Colleges’ Center of Excellence Award for Rookie of the Year on November 21.

 

In addition she received two levels of certification as a North Carolina Community Colleges Certified Small Business Center Director for Level 1 and Level 2.

 

The award was presented to Lewis during the Joint Professional Development Conference for North Carolina Small Business Advisors from the NC Small Business and Technology Development Centers and the NC Small Business Center Network.

 

“I truly appreciate all that Alamance Community College does to help the Small Business Center support our clients which has resulted in our designation as a Center of Excellence for the state,” commented Lewis. 

 

Lewis has been Director of ACC’s Small Business Center since November 2022. She has served as an Advisory Board Member and Selection Committee Member for the inaugural Alamance County Economic Development Foundation/Small Business Grant Program. Under her leadership, the Small Business Center recently hosted a Dual Language Small Business Summit offering two days of classes to entrepreneurs in English and Spanish with a goal of building bridges across cultures to foster economic development in Alamance County. In 2023 Lewis hosted the Women and Minority Business Summit, offering 12 classes and 15 speakers. It featured the first Premier Pursuits Small Business Showcase. Both events were sponsored by separate NCIDEA ENGAGE Grants totaling $10,000 awarded to the SBC for its efforts to provide networking, education and growth opportunities for diverse populations, including Historically Underutilized Businesses and Women and Minority Enterprises.

 

Approximately 150 NC SBTDC and SBCN representatives were present for the conference on November 21, which also highlighted the 40 years of service to Small Business Owners and Aspiring Entrepreneurs across the state.

 

Founded in 1984, The NC Community Colleges Small Business Center Network (SBCN) is our state’s largest state-supported small business assistance initiative. With funding from the North Carolina General Assembly, at least one Small Business Center has been established at each of the 58 community colleges since 1995. Currently, the Network has 60 sites throughout the state with Centers conveniently located within a 30-minute drive of every North Carolinian. At the core of its vision, the Small Business Center Network is positioned to focus on entrepreneurship, small business and economic development with an emphasis on assisting start-ups, early stage, and businesses seeking disaster assistance or seeking to stabilize.