Beacom Celebrates Small Business Week by Recognizing Programs that Help Businesses Statewide
According to the Small Business Administration, 99% of all South Dakota enterprises are small businesses, and these businesses employ nearly 59% of the state’s entire workforce.
With small businesses at the core of the state’s economy, the Beacom School of Business strives to support small businesses through a variety of means. Becoming a visionary sponsor for the Prairie Family Business Association (PFBA) is just one way Beacom propels small businesses forward in the state and beyond.
Roughly 43% of South Dakota businesses are family owned. PFBA, an outreach of the Beacom School of Business, provides a resource network for family business success and helps these business thrive through generations.
PFBA has grown its membership to 260 companies, 34 professional advisors, 18 affinity peer groups, 32 sponsors and 13 states.
Another way the Beacom School of Business supports small businesses across the state is through Coyote Business Consulting (CBC), a student-centered initiative that is intended to be mutually beneficial for both the students and local businesses. Through CBC, students offer consulting services to organizations at no charge and have the opportunity to receive academic credits, financial support and real-world experience.
Since its inception amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the CBC program has supported over 100 organizations and small business. The program is offered in both the fall and spring semesters, and projects run approximately 10 weeks.
