Jane Ray, a certified small business adviser and training program coordinator for the Guam Small Business Development Center at the University of Guam, was named the 2018 “State Star” by the national SBDC organization. She was nominated and selected among employees of the six SBDCs under the university’s Pacific Islands Small Business Development Center Network (PISBDCN), which include centers in the Northern Mariana Islands, Chuuk, Kosrae, Yap, and Palau.

“I appreciate my colleagues for their confidence in my hard work in supporting our small business owners on Guam,” she said. “As a certified business adviser, there is no better feeling than knowing I was able to help each client with their personal and business endeavors.”

The honor is bestowed every year upon one employee under each of the more than 63 SBDC lead centers across the United States and U.S. territories. Awardees are selected based on their exemplary performance, significant contributions to his or her SBDC program, and a strong commitment to small business in their region. 

As an adviser, Ray counsels individuals who are interested in starting their own business and those who wish to enhance their management skills for their small business. As the training program coordinator, she coordinates a training schedule on current needs of existing local businesses and business start-ups, including trainings on accounting, taxation, financing, managing, and insurance and bonding. 

“The journey itself is rewarding for me as many of them have expressed appreciation for SBDC’s support regardless of the ups and downs in business,” she said. “It is truly gratifying to be able to see those I have assisted become successful years later.”

Ray was presented the award at the America’s SBDC 38^th Annual Fall Conference on Sept. 4 at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. She now joins 14 other employees from the PISBDCN who were previously named “State Stars.”

The ceremony provided Ray the opportunity to connect with other SBDC member centers across the nation and learn of new resources for entrepreneurs to bring back to Guam.

The Guam SBDC office works closely with the Guam Chamber of Commerce, Guam Women Chamber of Commerce, Guam Contractors Association, Guam Visitors Bureau, and Guam Society of Human Resource Management as well as off-island organizations and federal counterparts, such as the Hawaii Pacific Export Council and USDA.     

The PISBDCN is an accredited member of America’s Small Business Development Center. Last year, the network of 1,000 total service centers across the nation provided training to 261,369 entrepreneurs, consulted 192,205 businesses, and helped create 96,095 new jobs.