Helping Businesses Grow & Succeed
The Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU, which was recently named the National SBDC of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration for its work supporting small businesses in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, may be best known for its work helping established businesses grow larger, creating more jobs […]
Sebastian Munera and Ricardo Ardila have known each other since their college days at Florida International University, both earning undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. They worked in the HVAC industry for many years, including industry giant Carrier. As they were contemplating leaving their leadership roles at their companies […]
For Karina Vaguez, owner of a full-scale meetings and events production company, the pandemic could have been a time to retrench. Obviously, a business like hers was going to be hit hard with convenings shut down. But instead of wallowing in worry, Vaguez used this traumatic time to prepare her […]
Vision. Expertise. Tenacity. Hard work. Perseverance. Teamwork. Resilience. These are ingredients of a successful small business. AmePower, an industry-leading technology company in the transportation and renewable energy sectors, is a success story. This week, as part of National Small Business Week, the Miami small business’s CEO, Luis Contreras, and President, […]
When Kenerly Wright and her husband decided that she would leave her job as a successful property manager to be a stay-at-home mom for several years after her children were born, she discovered that she was having so much fun being home with her kids. When contemplating what she would […]
Small business owner Melissa Guzman offers the beloved foods of her Caribbean homeland – but she veganizes them for healthier living. She should know – it’s helped her, too. Now she wants to expand The Caribe Vegan brand into retail. Darren Mendoza’s Lutong Pinoy restaurants are wildly popular with the […]
No matter how long you have run your small business, there is always something to learn about entrepreneurship. And in times of crisis, such as during the COVID pandemic, those lessons become even more important. Cristina Serralta is a believer in the never-stop-learning ethos. In recent years, she has gone […]
By FIU News The Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU Business has been recognized as the Florida SBDC Network Center of the Year for 2022. In 2021, the FSBDC assisted 2,050 clients, providing over 20,660 consulting hours. FSBDC at FIU consultants also led the state network in access to […]
Over lunch one day, Suzyjo Moore and Bobbie Vurro, both emergency room nurses, started talking about joining forces to open a new health and wellness small business. As they envisioned it, the IV therapy company would offer IV hydration, hangover relief, energizing vitamins, minerals, athletic performance and immune boosting infusions. […]
Key West Marine Hardware is a family business through and through. Business owner Nick Formico says his grandfather opened the store in the 1960s and then raised Formico’s mother and uncle in the business, as well as himself. “I grew up in the store. I used to work here every […]