SCORE SE Wisconsin Receives National Chapter of the Year (COTY) Award for Outstanding Service to Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SCORE, a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, named SCORE SE Wisconsin the 2024 Chapter of the Year (COTY) out of more than 200 chapters nationwide for its outstanding support of small businesses through free mentoring, training and resources.

"We are proud to honor SCORE SE Wisconsin as Chapter of the Year in recognition of their embodiment of SCORE's commitment to serve every entrepreneur, no matter who you are or what business stage you're in," said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston.

With 70 volunteers serving the chapter in 10 counties, SCORE SE Wisconsin made significant improvements to grow its outreach and service to the local small business community over the past year, establishing a strong culture of diversity and inclusion while simultaneously achieving its highest client and volunteer satisfaction scores to date.

In 2023, SCORE SE Wisconsin:

• Provided 2,400 mentoring sessions ? a 70% increase from the previous year
• Supported more than 1,000 small businesses ? a 33% increase from the previous year
• Increased workshop attendance by 500%
• Increased total services ? mentoring sessions, events and workshops ? by 120%
• Increased rural clients served by 41%

In addition, SCORE SE Wisconsin hosted, co-hosted, or participated with community partners in 73 events ? a 370% increase over the previous year ? with specific outreach to small business owners in Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, veteran, Indigenous and rural communities. The chapter also began offering mentoring services in Spanish.

"I'm grateful to receive recognition for what we have achieved," said Lisa Foster, who serves as chair of SCORE SE Wisconsin and associate district director. "More importantly, I hope that by sharing how we've adopted new approaches and built new partnerships, SCORE will reach and serve more people who need help overcoming challenges on the road to running a successful business."

Unfortunately, 20% of businesses fail in their first year and 50% fail in their first five years. To help overcome these challenges, SCORE's nationwide network of volunteer mentors provide experienced advice, best practices and training on a wide range of small business topics, all free of charge. Shana McCaw and Brent Budsberg, co-owners of design studio Current Projects, sought help from SCORE SE Wisconsin when establishing their business. "Our SCORE mentor is someone with experience and an understanding of the business world that we can bounce ideas off of. He provides us with resources and guides our decision-making," said Brent.

In addition to the national Chapter of the Year, SCORE announced the following regional winners for their achievements over the past year. Congratulations to:

• SCORE Silicon Valley (West Region Chapter of the Year)
• SCORE New York City (Northeast Region Chapter of the Year)
• SCORE NC Piedmont Triad (Southeast Region Chapter of the Year)
• SCORE Tulsa (Southwest Region Chapter of the Year)
• SCORE Central PA (Mid-Atlantic Region Chapter of the Year)
• SCORE St. Louis (North Midwest Region Chapter of the Year)
• SCORE SE Wisconsin (Central Region Chapter of the Year)

Learn more about SCORE's free mentoring services here.

About SCORE:
Since its founding in 1964 as a resource partner for the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE has helped more than 11 million current and aspiring entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business through mentoring, resources and education. Visit SCORE at www.score.org.

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

CONTACT:
SCORE
202-968-6428
[email protected]

Visit SCORE's media resources to be connected with expert small business interview sources and news updates.

SOURCE SCORE