60 for 60: In 1981, Small Business Center began serving local entrepreneurs

Marcy Gardner
Oct 04, 2022


In celebration of Durham Technical Community College’s 60th anniversary, the College is publishing 60 for 60 – a storytelling campaign that highlights the people, places, and events that have progressed and shaped the College’s six decades of impact. To view more 60 for 60 stories, visit www.durhamtech.edu/60for60.

lobby of small business centerIn October 1981, the Small Business Institute opened its doors at then-Durham Technical Institute. It was established to provide entrepreneurs with the information, tools, and resources needed to develop business ideas and to become viable, profitable, and successful.

Six years later, the now-Small Business Center moved to the historic Venable Place Business Incubator in downtown Durham to start offering workshops, business-specific course work, and one-on-one counseling. In 2003, it moved to the sixth-floor of the downtown NC Mutual Life Insurance Company Building and has been located most recently at the Chesterfield Building since 2018.

Today, the Center offers the following services at little or no cost:

  • Training and technical assistance in starting a business or developing business ideas;
  • Business skills seminars, webinars, and workshops;
  • One-on-one confidential counseling sessions to help develop a business plan or address business needs; and
  • A resource center with business books, magazines, and other literature.

In February 2022, Jonathan Collins was named director of the Small Business Center.

“I look forward to developing strong relationships with the local business owners that we engage with every day, I get so much joy from walking down the street and knowing that I’ve touched so many of the businesses that I also patronize," Collins said. "I love the community-based approach to what we do and am excited to help the next generation of entrepreneurs thrive in Durham and Orange counties."