SBA opens site at the Spark Center SC

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Spartanburg Community College and the U.S. Small Business Administration South Carolina District office have opened the Spartanburg Alternative Work Site at the Spark Center SC on the school's Tyger River Campus in Duncan.

This partnership and office location were started to increase awareness of SBA programs and services in the Upstate, and to position Valerie Torstenson, the new outreach marketing specialist, as a community resource, according to a news release.

“SCC is the number one economic driver for wealth development per capita income growth in the Upstate … so it makes sense that we partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration and welcome them to the Upstate, to the Spark Center and Tyger River Campus, which is the site of tremendous economic development growth and success,” G. Michael Mikota, president of Spartanburg Community College, said in the news release. “Ultimately our students have the opportunity to move mountains through their educational career but this partnership is a way for us to sustain the entrepreneurial needs of our students and our residents seeking loans in order to grow and invest in themselves. When individuals grow and invest in themselves, it has an impact on all lives and makes our communities stronger. Through our sustained relationship with SBA to support our students and our residents, we will further help and develop individual lives through our teaching and learning in the classroom, but also beyond the classroom experience through economic development as well.”

The Spark Center SC was designed to assist entrepreneurs and businesses launch, build, expand and reorganize.

“Ultimately we have been tremendously successful with the Spark Center and Tyger River Campus continuously looking at opportunities for what our future success will be,” Mikota said in the release. “But if we do not tackle the opportunity for equitable recovery during this pandemic, then we will not grow as fast as we want to, and we all want S.C. to continue to explode and have successes both in big manufacturing opportunities and small business. That is the name of the game — small business association, prosperity and growth. The SBA is here to drive that opportunity, and we are very excited about our partnership.”

Torstenson served as a business opportunity specialist with the SBA’s Office of Business Development, Office of Certification and Eligibility, where she contributed to developing policy, the release said. She also served as a business opportunity specialist in the Baltimore District Office, maintaining a portfolio of clients, performing outreach, and serving as a resource for female-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses. She will work with lenders, procurement agencies, small businesses and community organizations to expand access to capital, federal contracting opportunities, and counseling assistance for small businesses in the Upstate.

"We are excited to partner with the Spartanburg Community College in the opening of our new location," Gregg White, South Carolina District director, said in the release. "We have coverage along the coast and in the Midlands, but never had full coverage in the Upstate until now. This area has experienced major growth in lending, manufacturing, and economic development, and it was time to have an SBA location here. Valerie will be a great addition to the SBA team and we look forward to working with her and SCC."

In exchange for services provided by the Spark Center, business clients consent to locate their permanent facility in Spartanburg County. Since its 2005 inception, the center has worked with 113 companies from across the globe and helped create 44,179 jobs, $155 million combined tax revenue, and $29 billion in earnings.