Louisiana Business & Technology Center (LBTC)
The Louisiana Business and Technology Center is a byproduct of Louisiana State University Stephensen Entrepreneurship Institute. The center is ranked among the top ten entrepreneur programs in the nation. It was jointly funded through LSU and the Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce in 1988 to foster the economic growth in Louisiana. The LBTC focuses on counseling to small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Baton Rouge community. The LBTC is comprised of the LTTO, the Business Incubator, and the LSBDC management assistance counseling.[1]
Facilities edit
The Louisiana Business and Technology Center is located at LSU's new South Campus Research Park (insert address). The facilities provide furniture, office space, equipment, management assistance, and technology support to its tenants to allow them to focus on the operation of their business and its strategic direction. [2] As well as the LBTC headquarters located near LSU's Campus LSU, the LBTC community also supports a mobile classroom, an 18-wheeler trailer, that functions as a interactive classroom for the Baton Rouge community. It can accommodate up to 24 people with wireless internet connectivity and audio visual capabilities. [3] The Louisiana Technology Transfer Office is located in the E.J. Ourso College of Business.
Louisiana Business Technology Center edit
The LBTC provides management assistance counseling through the Louisiana SBDC Technology Center at LSU, a partnership between Louisiana Universities, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Louisiana Economic Development. The LSBDC specializes in technology commercialization and technology transfer. [4] It facilities counseling to students, entrepreneurs, and small business, training in current business trends, organizes information resources pertaining to business market data, and technology transfer.
Louisiana Small Business Development Center edit
Located at the LBTC, the small business incubator provides a functional business environment for student startups and Louisiana businesses. The LBTC has worked on over 5,000 businesses, starting nearly 479 businesses, and creating more than 9,207 jobs for Louisiana. The incubator provides mail service, office space, building management, internet access, telecommunication services, conference rooms, access to audio visual equipment, professional receptionist, clerical support, technology transfer assistance, knowledge resources, and labs. The business incubator targets undergraduate students at LSU to foster their business ideas into full functional entities upon graduation. The LBTC operations are staffed through volunteer counselors in the business community, MBA Graduate Students, and LBTC Advisory Board. [5]
Louisiana Technology Transfer Office edit
A subset of the LBTC located on LSU's campus, originated in 1990 on the campus of LSU. Under the executive order MJF 96-22, LSU must maintain a LTTO at Stennis Space Center to accomodate NASA’s Technology Transfer Program. NASA is one of many technology resource networks including SERTTC and the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer. In accordance with the objectives of LBTC as a whole, LTTO strives to coordinate Louisiana businesses with resources and professional expertise within the federal laboratory system through on site evaluations. The LTTO is funded through grants and contracts from Louisiana Economic Development, the Louisiana Board of Regents, NASA and U.S. Small Business Administration. [7]
The Mobile Entrepreneurship Program edit
In 2005, the LBTC introduced a mobile classroom in order to bring entrepreneurship training to underserved rural areas of Louisiana. This mobile unit has expanded LBTC’s outreach to server more than 350 business annually and fits up to 30 individuals. The mobile classroom has the ability to develop seminars and training for technology usage, marketing, and financing advice. The LBTC mobile classroom is most notably known for its reaction to the disaster that ensued post Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. It visited impacted disaster areas to provide disaster recovery business counseling to those affected by the hurricane. [8]
Advisory Board edit
See Also edit
References edit
- ^ [1], Louisiana Business Technology Center
- ^ [2], Louisiana Business Technology Center
- ^ [3], Mobile Classroom
- ^ [4] Small Business Development Center
- ^ [5], Small Business Development Center
- ^ [6], Louisiana Business Technology Center's Economic Impact
- ^ [7], Louisiana Technology Transfer Office
- ^ [8], Mobile Entrepreneurship Program Article