GONZALES – The University of Houston-Victoria Small Business Development Center will have a more visible presence in Gonzales starting next month.

The Gonzales SBDC office will be closed on May 30 to allow for moving the office to its new quarters at 941 St. Joseph St., Suite 203. The office will reopen on June 2. The new office can be reached by calling 830-519-4267 or 1-877-895-4232.

In addition to its headquarters in Victoria, SBDC has operated a staffed office since 2009 at the Randle Rather Building in Gonzales. The move was necessary because the Randle building was sold to Gonzales County.

Kacey Lindemann Butler

“This is going to turn out well for us because we will have better parking and access for our clients,” SBDC Director Joe Humphreys said.

Kacey Lindemann Butler, a certified business advisor IV, has worked out of the Gonzales office since it opened. The Gonzales native will remain the SBDC advisor for the county after the office relocation.

In 2013, SBDC helped start or expand 11 small businesses in Gonzales County, leading to the creation or retention of 62 jobs. Butler met with 38 clients a total of 328 times last year. The SBDC also has held a dozen workshops in the county.

“The Gonzales office has been quite productive in assisting clients,” Humphreys said. “Kacey has done a great job meeting the needs of those small businesses.”

Joe Humphreys

The new office is located in a building that recently was expanded by a Gonzales attorney. It’s located a few blocks from the current office.

“It’s a smaller office complex, so it will be easier to find,” Humphreys said. “We’ll have a sign right on the main street of town. It should make us more visible.”

The UHV SBDC offers assistance on starting, growing and financing a business; contracting opportunities; and recovering from a disaster. Most of its services are free to area small business owners in Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, DeWitt, Gonzales, Goliad, Jackson, Karnes, Lavaca, Refugio and Victoria counties. It is part of a nationwide small business assistance program serving the small business community and federal, state and local governments.

Farhang Niroomand

For counties other than Victoria and Gonzales, SBDC advisors typically meet with clients at the office of the local city government or chamber of commerce. Humphreys said they have partnerships with those entities so that advisors and clients can have a quiet place to meet.

Humphreys said advisors make regular trips to each county at least monthly – and in some cases weekly. Each advisor is assigned a territory to manage.

“It’s important to meet with clients face to face, so I’m glad to see Mr. Humphreys and his team regularly get out to the entire area the SBDC serves,” said Farhang Niroomand, dean of the UHV School of Business Administration.

For a list of SBDC offices in each county, visit www.uhv.edu/small-business/service-areas/. To make an appointment, call 361-485-4485 or toll free to 877-895-7232.