SIUE SBDC Salutes GeoGraph as Business Success Story
Earl McDowell, Jr.’s company, GeoGraph LLC, is one of only two minority owned businesses within its market niche in Illinois. That niche is developing customized geographic profiles via a geographic information system (GIS).
A GIS is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage and present all types of spatial or geographic data.
“Geography is fun,” said McDowell. “It’s a wonderful time to be in the field. GIS modeling brings surveying, engineering and other disciplines together to map, track and analyze specific information a client is seeking.”
GeoGraph has been McDowell’s full-time venture for two years. His clients have included Ameren Corp., the cities of East St. Louis and O’Fallon, Ill. and the village of Washington Park.
The entrepreneur and SIU Carbondale graduate says Metro East Small Business Development Center Small Business Specialist Jo Ann May armed him with the connections and resources he needed to put his business on the map, so to speak.
“SBDC has been a huge resource for me,” said McDowell, whose company is headquartered in O’Fallon, Ill. “I attended the Metro East SBDC’s ‘Make a Connection’ workshop last fall. It was there that I had the opportunity to shake hands and talk with several key executives at Central Management Services (CMS), the division of the Illinois Department of Human Services that oversees government contracts.
“Jo Ann introduced me to Paul Cerpa, deputy director of CMS, who was an absolutely critical connection for my company.”
Prior to connecting with the SBDC and Cerpa, McDowell had tried to gain certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) with the state of Illinois, but to no avail.
“When I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Cerpa, he was already familiar with my file,” McDowell said. “At the SBDC workshop, he gave me detailed instructions as to how to modify my application so I could resubmit it.
“Within two weeks of resubmitting, my application was approved. That opened the door to a number of public sector projects and contributed to the significant growth of my business.”
The SBDC also assisted McDowell in qualifying for Illinois’ Small Business Set-Aside Program. The program reserves certain types of contracts for which only small businesses can compete.
“Jo Ann was incredibly persistent and professional,” said McDowell, whose experience includes work in utility mapping, fiber-optic mapping and work in the homeland defense industry. “When I approached the SBDC, I was just trying to create and sustain business. The Metro East SBDC has helped me take GeoGraph to a whole new level.”
The SBDC also introduced McDowell to Justine PETERSEN, a nonprofit organization that offers free guidance in establishing credit, improving credit scores and accessing capital.
“Thanks to Jo Ann, I’ve been a recipient of Justine PETERSEN’s microloans to help me expand my company,” he said.
May says clients like McDowell are ideal to assist because they work hard and readily apply the expertise given to them.
“Earl has definitely been working hard,” May said. “The network of resources our office has provided GeoGraph has given him the opportunity to move forward at an even faster pace. My fulfillment comes from arming our clients with the necessary tools to achieve success.”
The Metro East SBDC assists start-up ventures like McDowell’s as well as existing businesses headquartered in the nine-county Metro East region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. It is a service to the community supported by the SBA.
By aiding entrepreneurs and companies in defining their path to success, the SBDC network positively impacts the Metro East by strengthening the business community, creating and retaining new jobs and encouraging new investment. It enhances the region’s economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses. When appropriate, the SBDC strives to affiliate its ties to the region to support the goals and objectives of both the SIUE School of Business and the University at large.
To learn how the SBDC can help your small business, contact the Metro East SBDC at (618) 650-2929 or sbdcedw@gmail.com.
Photo: Earl McDowell, Jr., owner of GeoGraph LLC.
