North Central Indiana Business Assistance Center, Inc (NCI)
North Central Indiana Business Assistance Center, Inc. (NCI)
provides direct assistance to companies by reducing the costs and
problems associated with operating a firm or starting a new business
venture. Also, NCI provides assistance to entrepreneurs by helping them
connect with financing alternatives, providing guidance in business
planning/marketing, and assisting them with other aspects of starting
and operating a successful business. NCI provides direct assistance and
information to both emerging and established companies in Elkhart, St.
Joseph, Kosciusko, Fulton, and Marshall counties.
In order to adequately address the many needs of small businesses, NCI
oversees the implementation of numerous separate programs, and all
programs operate from under the NCI umbrella. The programs offering a
wide variety of services are: Technology Transfer, BTI, SBDC, SCORE, and MBDC, which are described in the following paragraphs.
NCI has partnered with The Greater Elkhart Chamber Technology Council to sponsor a website at www.michianatech.org. This website anchors a regional Virtual Technology Park which facilitates the growth and transfer of technology throughout the region. Contact for more information.
BTI Services
The BTI program provides a variety of manufacturing,
technology-based and business assistance services designed to help meet
the needs of businesses. BTI can help meet all your business needs
including Quality, Lean Manufacturing, Marketing, and other
manufacturing issues. For additional information, contact .
SBDC (Small Business Development Center)
Planning a new venture? Expanding a current business? The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) helps clients realize their potential by assisting business in decision making, providing easier access to information, or introducing creative solutions to business problems. Areas of counseling include: research, finances, business planning, exporting and funding sources. SBDC works with a network of private and public community resources, providing short/long term assistance at no cost to you.
Collegiate Management Assistance - a program partnering students and business professionals to achieve business objectives
SBDC Directors
Regional Director - Janet A. Fye, (574) 282-4350 ext. 1
Associate Director - Jim Gregar, (574) 282-4350 ext. 5
Counselor - Alan Steele, (574) 293-1531 ext. 115
SCORE
SCORE is a national network of business executives and business owners eager to share their knowledge and expertise. SCORE volunteers are men and women representing many facets of business. These counselors have experience with a vast array of problems and situations including: purchasing, accounting, sales, marketing, finance, and planning. SCORE helps hundreds of clients a year, all confidentially, and at no charge.
SCORE has 389 chapters in locations throughout the United States and its territories, with 10,500 volunteers nationwide. Local chapters provide free counseling and low cost workshops in their communities. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate their time and expertise as business counselors. SCORE was founded in 1964 and is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Our counselors are all volunteers who have had many years of responsibility in variety of businesses.
Counseling is on a one-on-one basis or in two-person team format.
All discussions are held in strict confidence. All counselors are bound by a stringent Code of Ethics to protect clients.
No charges are made for the services rendered and free counseling is available as long as it is desired.
Counselors' expertise in business covers a wide spectrum of disciplines, i.e. administration, accounting, engineering, marketing, export/import, organization, manufacturing, etc.
Many would-be entrepreneurs have been counseled for start-up businesses (including home-based operations and one-person enterprises as well as existing businesses).
Available by appointment: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Call: (574) 293-1531 to make appointment
Fax: (574) 294-1859
E-mail:
Visit the national SCORE website: www.score.org
MBDC (Minority Business Development Council)
Counseling, training, technical assistance, and access to credit are the key elements this council offers to minority businesses. The mission is to assist start-ups, emerging or existing businesses to achieve success in their growth, expansion or stabilization and to serve as an advocate for minority businesses to enable them to reach out more effectively to the general market. The MBDC partners with SCORE, SBDC and ASSETS of Elkhart County to provide training to operate a successful business.
How MBDC serves the Minority Business Community:
An open forum for expression of minority business concerns
A network for minority business enterprises
A focal point for minority small business interests
A venue for expert, free business counseling; available speakers
A Bi-lingual (Spanish & English) Community with special interest in emerging or existing minority small business
Available micro-loan assistance for qualified minoirty owned businesses
Monthly meetings on first Wednesdays at 9:00 am at the Greater Elkhart Chamber.
Manufacturing Services & Programs
For more information, contact
Lean Manufacturing Workshop
Eliminating waste in the
manufacturing process — while increasing your company's profits — is
the focus of this one-day workshop.
Value Stream Mapping
Learn
how to create a "value" map of your current and future "state"
processes in this two-day workshop. Includes development of your own
current and future state for a selected project.
Set-Up Reduction
Learn the fundamentals of set-up reduction by applying quick-change thinking to any type of setup or industry.
Cellular Flow Manufacturing
A
five-step process to link and balance manufacturing operations to
reduce lead times, minimize work in progress, optimize floor space
usage and improve productivity.
5-S The Visual Workplace
Experience firsthand how the 5-S System (Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize and Sustain) reduces waste in your facility.
Pilot Kaizen Implementation
This
intensive and highly-focused approach combines methodology from lean
manufacturing tools and disciplines including 5-S, Cellular Flow
Manufacturing, Pull/Kanban, Set-Up Reduction, and Line Balancing.
Lean Manufacturing Implementation
Using
a pilot area to initiate full implementation, this high-impact effort
demonstrates the success of lean and helps create, build and sustain
momentum in your company.
For more information about Manufacturing Services, contact .
