Small Business Development Center
The Linn-Benton Small Business Development Center Supports Local Small Businesses Like Yours!
Your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is here to partner with you to make your small business a success – from business idea, to launch, to expansion, to business transition. We’ve been in this community for over 30 years, helping thousands of entrepreneurs follow their dreams.
- We offer no cost, confidential small business advising to Linn and Benton county residents. We are hosted at LBCC, but we serve the whole community.
- Advisors can assist you with topics like accessing capital, business plans, bookkeeping, permits/regulations/insurance, sales, websites, marketing, government contracts, and more. We offer advising online, via phone and in-person at LBCC’s Benton Center.
- We teach small business classes, webinars, and workshops on topics like starting a business, marketing, payroll/HR laws, QuickBooks, and more. Check out our startup series: Launch Your Business in 6 Weeks!
- We offer services in Spanish.
Real Estate & Property Pre-Licenses
Real Estate Broker: Thinking about a career as a real estate agent? This class is the first step! The format is an accelerated program with weekly virtual classes in the evening as well as a self-study portion. We also offer a 9:00am to 5:00pm pre-test cram session to get you ready for the Oregon Real Estate Broker’s License Exam.
Property Manager: Get prepared to take the State of Oregon Property Manager License Exam. This course is the fastest way to qualify to take the exam, which covers the role of property managers, tenant relations, fair housing, lease agreements, and more.
You must attend all class sessions through Zoom and have online capacity to complete the self-study portion of these courses. Both are typically offered every term, and registration opens about six weeks before the start of term.
Pesticide Private Applicator Training
Each fall and spring, we offer "Pesticide Private Applicator" in both English and Spanish. Prepare yourself or your employees to handle pesticides safely, to pass the Oregon Pesticide Private Applicator test, or to get recertified if you have an existing license.
- Ten recertification credit hours for people with active applicator licenses.
- An Oregon Department of Agriculture approved/certified training program.
- Closely follows the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s study guides.
- Covers integrated pest management (IPM), math calibration, application exercises, safety, and regulations.
- Appropriate for employees or owners working at farms, forests, and nurseries.
Classes are typically posted for registration about six weeks before a new term starts.
Reach out to us today with any questions about our advising or classes. Or get registered for advising and we’ll email you about next steps soon.
Address
Linn-Benton Community College
Corvallis Campus
Benton Center, Room 221
757 NW Polk Ave
Corvallis, OR 97330.
Phone
SBDC Program Assistant: 541-917-4929
Class Registration Assistance: 541-917-4840
Email
sbdc@linnbenton.edu
Meet our team and our current advisors! Read our biographies. Learn more about state-wide services offered by the Oregon SBDC network and check out the Oregon SBDC blog.
- We are funded by Linn-Benton Community College, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Business Oregon, the Benton County Economic Development Office and City of Lebanon. This funding allows us to offer many of our services at no cost to you.
- We also partner closely with local chambers of commerce, downtown associations, business catalyst/accelerators and other organizations dedicated to helping businesses thrive.
- We offer partial scholarships for many of our classes thanks to Oregon State Credit Union!
- Learn more about state-wide services offered by the Oregon SBDC network.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.
Bright Horizons Preschool LLC Opens in Rural Tangent, OR
Krista Hogan, the proud owner of Bright Horizons Preschool LLC, partnered with the SBDC to turn her vision into reality. With guidance from SBDC advisor Misty Lambrecht, Krista successfully navigated the complexities of setting up her business, including bookkeeping, creating a business plan, budgeting and applying for a loan. In addition to taking advantage of advising, Krista completed a childcare business accelerator program — a partnership between the SBDC and Child Care Resource & Referral partner, Family Connections. Now officially open as 2024, Bright Horizons Preschool is a certified registered family school dedicated to providing a safe, healthy learning environment that advances children's physical, intellectual and creative development in the rural community of Tangent, Oregon, in Linn county.
Latine-Run Sushi Bako is Working on Expansion in Corvallis
The Linn-Benton SBDC began working with Eugenio Trapala Trejo in 2022 on his dream of opening his own food truck. Eugenio has the mind and heart of an entrepreneur and since he was a child has wanted to open his own business. He had been working hard to move in that direction, but he needed business support on financial topics, designing a business plan, registration, permits and licenses. The SBDC’s Spanish-speaking advisor partnered with Eugenio on finding the answers to his questions. They built a long-term advising relationship as he put together all the pieces to launch Sushi Bako!
He also completed SBDC’s curriculum “Inicia Tu Negocio en 6 Semanas” (Launch Your Business in 6 Weeks) in Spanish. After all this preparation, Eugenio started Sushi Bako in 2023. Since then, the orange food truck has been a staple of the Corvallis community with a highly visible location right on Highway 99. Now he has worked with the SBDC on expanding to a second food truck.
Meet Jolene, owner of Natural Sprinkles and client of the SBDC
Jolene Wilson enrolled at Linn-Benton Community College to further her career goals, as many others do, many years ago. At the time, her plan was to become a dental hygienist but she discovered a love of baking along the way and changed course. After years of practicing her craft and attending a culinary academy in Alabama, Jolene’s family moved back to Albany. In 2017, they introduced Natural Sprinkles Co. as a booth at the farmers market with baked goods adorned with handmade, all-natural sprinkles.
When Jolene realized the complexity of running a business, she knew she needed guidance. She worked with SBDC advisors on how to price her products and did QuickBooks training. After years of working her booth at the farmers market and building a customer base, she was ready for a storefront. Everything from plumbing to electric to tearing down walls needed to be done, and the SBDC helped find reliable contractors for the job.
It took a year to complete the remodel, transforming it into a light and bright place that pops with color and comfort. The grand opening came in 2018.