Mark Schmitt, Director of the Cochise College Small Business Development Center, has received the 2013 Arizona State Star Award for extraordinary efforts to achieve and support the goals and mission of the Arizona SBDC Network.
Mark Schmitt
The award, given annually to an outstanding SBDC consultant from each state, is based on outstanding performance in achieving the highest combined levels of economic impact and client satisfaction in the state, measured by economic impact in areas such as job creation and retention, business starts, sales increases and capital formation.
Schmitt has served as Business Advisor and Director of Cochise College SBDC since 2008. In the last five years, the Cochise College SBDC has worked with clients across Cochise County to create 760 jobs, retained 264 jobs, assisted in capital infusion of $11 million, assisted in sales increases of $36.5 million, assisted in 175 business starts and worked with 440 long-term clients with five or more counseling hours.
Schmitt was selected for the Star Award based on peer nominations and will be honored in a ceremony recognizing each state’s Stars on Sept. 10 at the Association of Small Business Development Centers‘ national conference in Florida.
The Cochise College SBDC, one of more than 1,000 SBDC offices in the United States, has received the Center of Excellence Award in 2011, 2012 and 2013 as the only SBDC in Arizona to exceed all core goals related to economic impact creation in Arizona. Schmitt has previously received the 2011 AZSBDC state award for Capital Creation and the 2012 AZSBDC state award for Client Satisfaction.