History

The Greater Richmond Small Business Development Center (GRSBDC) was created in 1998 by the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce (GRCC) when it took over the Capital Area SBDC’s client base and resources to support GRCC’s commitment to area small businesses.

The Greater Richmond SBDC, a partnership program between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, provides assistance and training to help small business owners and potential owners make sound decisions for the successful operation of their businesses. As part of the statewide Virginia SBDC network the GRSBDC serves a population of approximately one million people in Central Virginia, primarily in the City of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Goochland Hanover, and Henrico,. The GRSBDC offers confidential, individual counseling as well as workshops, conferences and courses at various locations in its service area.

Over the past five years, the center has assisted over:

• 5,000 businesses comprised of 35% women owned and 39% minority owned
• 400 training events with more than 4500 participants
• 12,000 hours of individual counseling

Since it is a not-for-profit organization, the GRSBDC offers free counseling services and charges only nominal fees for its seminars and courses. The center is funded by the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc., and the U.S. Small Business Administration.