Partner Feature: Women's Business Center of Central Appalachia at SSU
The ECDI Women’s Business Center of Central Appalachia opened on June 1st, 2021 at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. It marked the first Women’s Business Center (WBC) outside of the three major metropolitan areas in Ohio - Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.
Kelly O’Bryant was chosen to direct the WBC of Central Appalachia. Kelly, a Shawnee State University alumni, worked for 20 years at the OSU South Center before coming to Portsmouth.
“I started as a summer intern and worked my way up the ranks until I found a niche in business,” said O’Bryant. “I started as a business coach working with startup entrepreneurs, and as my skill set and knowledge grew, I started working with more established businesses on growth trajectory. Next, I worked with companies to get them into international markets. The State of Ohio actually saw we had increased export activity in Southern Ohio and put in an international trade assistance center - which I directed for nine years.”
Kelly O’Bryant, Director of the Women’s Business Center of Central Appalachia
Kelly has five current side businesses. “They ebb and flow with the economy, the market, and what is happening in my life,” she said. “It all started as a hobby. I handmade a Christmas gift. Very soon, I had more and more people asking for one. So, I spun it off into a successful Etsy shop very quickly.”
Kelly says entrepreneurship starts there - with a dream and a desire to work hard.
“I love to work with dreamers and idea creators. If you have an idea, the WBC can work with it and see if it has a market and a customer base. We can get folks on the path to success.”
The WBC of Central Appalachia offers business coaching, technical assistance, and even lending options to everyone in the nine county region it serves.
“Right now, we are approaching 60 businesses we work with with 12-14 of those being new startups. We also recently received notice about further expansion into Kentucky. And it is important to point out that - despite being called the Women’s Business Center - 50% of the people we serve are male. We do provide more training programs to foster community and opportunities for women because they are traditionally under-capitalized…but we serve everyone.”
In recent months, O’Bryant has expanded her staff with two new hires: Bonnie Barker and Chris Smalley.
“Bonnie is our new program coordinator. She is the most beautiful master guru of keeping our center organized and moving forward. She handles all our trainings and provides technical assistance and coaching to startup entrepreneurs. And she herself is a business owner so she is a great fit for our center.”
“Chris and I worked together for 12-13 years at the OSU South Center. I asked him to come be a part of the team as the Director of Lending for Central Appalachia. Before that, Chris was a business coach and a former commercial lender. He has dual experiences that our entrepreneurs can rely upon”
Bonnie Barker, Program Coordinator at WBC of Central Appalachia
Chris Smalley, Director of Lending at WBC of Central Appalachia
Going forward, Kelly, Bonnie, and Chris hope to hit the ground running with a series of new events and networking opportunities for the communities they serve.
“We have a robust training calendar coming up,” explained O’Bryant. “We also are having monthly coffee networking events in each county we serve. Those events have been so fruitful. Not only do you get to meet new people and network, but they really lead to cross collaboration across the entire network.”
“And then on May 6th and 7th, we will be posting the first ever Ignite Appalachia Maker Market. That will see 50 plus vendors in 8 different categories. These are entrepreneurs, makers, or companies that will be set up in tents along Front Street in front of the SSU campus. We will also have live music, food trucks, and more. It’s going to be really exciting.”
For more information on being a part of the Ignite Appalachia Maker Market, contact Kelly or Bonnie.
To celebrate the WBC of Central Appalachia’s one year anniversary, they will get to move from their temporary offices on Shawnee State’s campus over to the brand new Kricker Innovation Hub building located at 221 Chillicothe Street.
“We are so excited to join the Hub,” said O’Bryant. “I have pictures of our space. It’s going to be great for the community when its finished and there’s foot traffic. Something special happens when folks can walk in and have water cooler conversations and get connected with other people in the area.”
Follow their Facebook Page for more info on the WBC of Central Appalachia.