Helena Small business center has new director, Dan Anderson

If Dan Anderson were to apply a motto to his new job, he’d make it, "building an economy, one business at a time."

By JOHN HARRINGTON – IR Business Editor

Anderson, 39, is new director of the Small Business Development Center.

Operating out of Gateway Economic Development Corp.’s new offices in the Chamber Building, Anderson said his purpose is to help small businesses in the area with any problems they might encounter, from finding capital or developing a business plan to preparing a loan application or determining how much to advertise.

"There’s such an energy and spirit about a small start-up business," he said. "There’s a spirit of hope and a can-do attitude that can be very refreshing."

The SBDC, partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, covers Lewis and Clark, Broadwater and Meagher counties and is part of a statewide network of technical service providers that assist start-up and existing businesses.

Anderson brings experience in a number of small businesses, as well as a nascent venture capital firm that he hopes will soon become sanctioned by the SBA.

"Especially in Montana, access to capital is a huge impediment to business success," he said. "Ninety-six percent of all businesses in Montana are small businesses, and 85 percent of those are undercapitalized. They may never achieve their full potential because of a lack of capital."

He brings energy to the job, and says his wide range of experience, from running a mental health business to financial consulting to having a share of a pre-school, will help him assist all manner of small business owners.

A graduate of Montana Tech in Butte, Anderson has lived in Helena since 1988. While he works out of the Gateway office, Anderson said he’s willing to try to assist any businesses that come to him for guidance.

"Any business that’s looking for assistance, I’ll try to help, whether they’re Gateway borrowers or not," he said.

Anderson replaces Ross Johnson, who left the SBDC to become communications coordinator for the Red Lodge Clearinghouse, a resource for collaborative conservation groups in the West.

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/11/04/business/e01110203_01.txt