Letters

Virginia deserves credit
for setting high standards
Your article on the Flory Center ("Maelstrom in Manassas," February 2000) was of interest to me because of the involvement of the Virginia Department of Business Assistance through its Virginia Small Business Development Centers. I served on the certification team that reviewed the Virginia SBDC program in 1998. Certification is a review process set up by SBA under delegated authority to determine if SBDCs meet the established standards.

When I was president of the Association of Small Business Development Centers, I was very impressed with the improvements in program management over the span of two years. The certification team was very impressed with the staff and its commitment to providing high-quality services to Virginia small business clients.

The leadership the state director provided to the field staff and the partnering organizations was critical. During that time, the Virginia SBDC instituted organizational control processes and strategic planning disciplines, and developed consensus and buy-in from many of the field staff. Internal systems also were improved, including partner consensus and a network identity.

The Virginia SBDC and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance should be applauded for the foresight to turn this program into one that provides both strong leadership and management assistance in the Virginia business development arena. Certification requires SBDCs to develop a system-wide vision and strategy and demonstrate their ability to deploy that strategy at all points. I believe the Virginia SBDC is in the process of becoming a much stronger delivery system for small businesses.

In my opinion, the staff in Virginia have done an excellent job of making the needed changes to enable the Virginia SBDC to become a high-quality delivery system.

Max Summers
State Director
Missouri Small Business
Development Centers
Columbia, Mo.