With small businesses reopening and needing to adjust their operations amid COVID-19 restrictions and economic challenges, Extension is teaming up with the Nevada Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to offer an online town hall this week, “The Nevada SBDC and Business Counseling.” The event is part of a series of town halls and webinars for small businesses, “Coping With COVID-19,” being offered each week, some in English, some in Spanish. The town halls begin with a short presentation on a given topic, and then participants network with one another and drive the discussion.

This week’s town hall is Wednesday, July 1, 9 a.m. for English speakers and at 2 p.m. for Spanish speakers. Panelists include:

• Diana Moreno, Nevada SBDC business advisor
• Anabel Navarro, Nevada SBDC business advisor (2 p.m. session only)
• Saul Ramos, Small Business Administration deputy director
• Reyna Mendez, Extension business development instructor
• Juan Salas, Extension business development instructor
• Mike Bindrup, Extension research associate

The Nevada SBDC provides confidential one-on-one business counseling to business owners. The Center hosts workshops and training events statewide and online, on business topics. Advisors walk their clients through understanding data, forecasting, operations and compliance. Advisement is free to any small business owner.

“The Nevada SBDC is always a great resource for our small businesses,” said Buddy Borden, economic development specialist with Extension’s Business Development Program. “But especially now, with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 epidemic, it’s important that our small businesses are familiar with the resources the SBDC has to offer and reach out to them for answers and guidance.”

The town halls and the webinars are free, and usually run about an hour. Visit one of the links below to register.

• Register for the 9 a.m. session for English speakers.
• Register for the 2 p.m. session for Spanish speakers.

For more information, go to the Extension Business Development Program website. There are also other resources at the website to assist businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. For more information, email Borden.