According to the August 2012 issue of Ingram's magazine, the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Wichita State University counseled more businesses in 2011 than 17 other SBDCs in Kansas and Missouri.

Wichita State's KSBDC helped 682 businesses last year, 19 more businesses than the second highest SBDC, St. Louis Empowerment Zone.

Wichita State's SBDC counseled 608 businesses in 2010.

The information was provided by small business development centers through questionnaires and interviews with personnel.

More information about Ingram's is available at www.ingramsonline.com.

"Our numbers are high because people clearly benefit from our services," said Marcia Stevens, regional director of the KSBDC at Wichita State. "Last year, our clients started 84 new businesses, created 663 new full- and part-time jobs, retained 326 full- and part-time jobs, and generated more than $73 million in new sales.

"Our new program, 'Business in Motion: Making Business Expansion Easier,' attracted an increasing number of established businesses to take advantage of our services. 'Business in Motion' targets companies interested in expanding through new markets, new products, export, government contracts, franchise, and the web."

Wichita State's KSBDC provides free consultation to existing small businesses and to individuals interested in starting a business in a 23-county region of south-central and north-central Kansas. It also offers a variety of workshops and conferences.

One-on-one consulting is provided at no cost. Consulting is available in such areas as business plan development, financial analysis, marketing, human resources, strategic planning, operational issues, market research, advertising strategies, sales techniques, selling to the government, and inventor assistance.

The WSU KSBDC also offers more than 200 free or low-cost seminars annually on topics ranging from "Quick Start Business Planning" to "Low and No Cost Marketing" to Beginning and Intermediate QuickBooks.

Workshop registration is available online at http://www.wichita.edu/ksbdc.