Saint Vincent to amp up local business services with new Latrobe community center

Saint Vincent College is taking steps to make its small business services more visible and accessible in downtown Latrobe.

This August, the college plans to open a community center at 911 Ligonier St. The center will house the college’s Small Business Development Center and SCORE Westmoreland.

“In this day and age, the college desired more visibility and intentionality in building a center that can serve the college’s needs and the surrounding community,” said Jeff Mallory, the college’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Local entrepreneurs use the Small Business Development Center and SCORE’s free services to start businesses or receive assistance with existing businesses.

Through the new center, these nonprofits will continue offering consulting services while ramping up their efforts to engage with local businesspeople through small group sessions, community night events, one-on-one meetings and more.

Briana Tomack, president and CEO of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, described the community center as a “great idea,” adding that she believes it will bring more people to Latrobe.

“I think the space is conducive to what (SBDC and SCORE) do and it will definitely be beneficial to the downtown area,” Tomack said.

A Saint Vincent alum donated the space to the college several years ago. After months of deliberation, college leaders decided to use the building to expand the Unity Township college’s business footprint in its neighboring city.

Mallory is eager to further support Westmoreland County businesses, which he said have “not only survived, but thrived” since the pandemic.

Jim Kunkel, the executive director of the college’s Small Business Development Center, agreed.

“(Westmoreland County has) strong downtown districts with a lot of independently owned, privately held businesses,” Kunkel said,” and that’s really our bread and butter.”

The Small Business Development Center has offered free consulting and education programming services to entrepreneurs in Westmoreland and Fayette counties since 1984. The SBDC at Saint Vincent is one of 18 centers in the state and roughly 1,000 in the nation.

During the 2021 fiscal year, Saint Vincent’s Small Business Development Center helped start 25 new businesses and worked with 420 clients in the area, according to Kunkel.

The center also employs four to five student interns who gain real-world experience while learning the ropes of consulting.

Right now, SBDC operates out of Saint Vincent’s campus. SCORE — a nonprofit that provides counseling, mentoring and other services to existing and start-up businesses — does, too.

The college hopes to open the new center before the upcoming academic year, which kicks off Aug. 29. Last month, the project received a $10,000 grant from the Revitalizing Westmoreland program.

Mallory is encouraged by the “validation and affirmation” that the college has received as it strives to help more businesspeople.

He believes the community center falls in line with Saint Vincent’s goal to be a community leader.

“It’s another nod to how we’re moving forward collectively,” Mallory said.