Abraham, is the former state director of Ohio�s Small Business Development Center. She will serve as chief executive for the South Carolina center, a statewide network of 16 offices with 35 full-time employees who provide low-cost help to entrepreneurs and small-business owners.

�We are excited to have someone of Michele�s professionalism leading the Small Business Development Center,� said Claude Lilly, dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University. �Her experience creating, building and promoting small businesses will prove invaluable in continuing the momentum for economic recovery and prosperity we�ve built here in the Upstate.�

�The SBDC is a tremendous asset for economic growth in our state,� said Roger Weikle, dean of the College of Business Administration at Winthrop University and chairman of the search committee.

�People have creative ideas and need help with access to capital to finance their plans and new opportunities for their existing business," he said. "We are fortunate to have found Michele. She has done this work in a large SBDC, in private industry and has managed small businesses of her own. She knows strategy of high-tech industry clusters that is essential for future growth. She has the energy and the leadership skills to take this huge segment of our state�s economy and help lead the recovery.�

Abraham said small businesses support the majority of jobs in this country and that she is looking forward to joining South Carolina�s center and having a role in the state's economic progress.

�Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, driving innovation and providing the vast majority of jobs in our country,� Abraham said. �I am honored to have the opportunity to work with this dedicated group of professionals who are a key component in helping these businesses succeed. The university consortium headed by Dr. Weikle has impressed me with its commitment and willingness to do whatever is necessary to support the South Carolina SBDC.�

South Carolina�s Small Business Development Center is financed primarily by the U.S. Small Business Administration, with additional support provided by state funds from South Carolina and a consortium of the four universities where offices are located: Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, S.C. State University and Winthrop University. The center collaborates within the consortium, which Weikle chairs, to offer student instruction in entrepreneurship, finance and other courses relevant to small-business development. Services include consulting, continuing-education programs and instructional resources.

Last year, the S.C. Small Business Development Center worked with approximately 2,500 clients to raise nearly $60 million in capital.

Abraham was director of Ohio�s Small Business Development Center, a network of 39 centers, from 2006 to 2009. Under her leadership, in 2008 it created or retained more than 50,000 jobs and helped clients increase sales by more than $124 million, access more than $148 million in capital and obtain more than $126 million in government contracts. During that time, she also served as chief of strategic management for the Ohio Department of Development.

After graduating from Bowling Green State University in 1975, Abraham worked several years in Columbia as a sales representative for Eastman Kodak. She went on to work in private industry and manage small businesses of her own in addition to directing a large Small Business Development Center. As a business-development manager for Owens Corning, she built a mature, stagnant business from $6 million to more than $23 million in annual sales. As a manager for Atlantic Research Corp., she led marketing and business development of a start-up business venture in aerospace and defense applications to $11 million in annual sales. She also has worked on projects with Boeing and DOW and in sales and business development for SP Systems.

She replaces John Lenti, who retired after 20 years of service.

The Upstate regional headquarters of the Clemson Small Business Development Center is located in the new Clemson at the Falls building on the Reedy River in downtown Greenville and is under the direction of Jill Burroughs. The Clemson Small Business Development Center regional network has offices in Greenville, Spartanburg, Pickens-Anderson and Greenwood; and the office has consultants working with small businesses throughout the region assisting in securing capital during difficult economic times.

(Image provided by The S.C. Small Business Development Center.)

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