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Phil Castle, The Business Times
Mandy DeCino knows how it feels to be an entrepreneur and not know what you need to know when you start a business. Because she’s been there.
“You jump,” DeSino said. “You jump before you really understand what’s there.”
There is another option, though. One person named DeSino said she is working on a promotion to become the new director of the Grand Junction Small Business Development Center. This will provide entrepreneurs with the mentoring, consulting and other resources they need to start and grow their businesses. “You don’t have to do it all on your own.”
The Grand Junction SBDC is part of a network of 15 full-time centers and more than 70 part-time satellite offices across Colorado. These centers offer a range of services, including free and low-cost coaching and consulting, covering all aspects of starting and growing a business.
In Grand Junction, the SBDC is located in the Business Incubation Center, which offers additional resources such as low-cost space, a commercial kitchen and a revolving loan fund that provides access to capital.
Business Incubator Center CEO Dalida Sassoon Bollig applauded DeCino’s selection. “From the moment we met, it was clear that her passion for small business, keen insight into government programs, and dedication to building a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem align perfectly with our mission. Mandy’s deep connections to our community and her infectious energy will be invaluable to the broader SBDC state network and our work at the Business Incubator Center. I have no doubt that under her leadership, we will see more local entrepreneurs flourish and our business community become even stronger,” Bollig said.
Hannah Krieger, Colorado SBDC Network Director, agreed. “Her passion and expertise will undoubtedly be a great asset to small businesses in Mesa County. I am confident she will have a significant and positive impact on the region’s entrepreneurial climate.”
DeSino said she still has a lot to learn about her new position, but she is excited. “This is a great opportunity for me, and I want to make a difference. Help small businesses. Help the community at large.”
She said she hopes to leverage her education, experience as an entrepreneur and work with state and federal government regulations.
DeSino grew up in the Front Range and moved to Grand Junction to attend what was then Mesa State College. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human performance and health, with concentrations in adaptive physical education and corporate wellness.
She returned to the Front Range and worked in corporate health, and later returned to the Grand Canyon.
After earning her MBA from Mesa State University, she began buying homes and renovating them to rent. Her interest in real estate led her to own a property management company and then a company that provided mortgages and mortgage planning. Her mortgage company merged with a California-based company.
She said it changed her life and inspired her Her work on HopeWest’s board led her to the Grand Junction-based organization, which provides hospice and palliative care, among other services, in western Colorado.
She held several positions at HopeWest before helping to launch and oversee the All-Inclusive Care Program for Seniors. The program offers a range of services, including primary and specialty medical care, prescription drugs, medical equipment, physical and occupational therapy, dietary counseling and transportation. The program provides some services in participants’ homes, but also offers a range of services at an 80,000-square-foot day center in Grand Junction.
Funding for these programs comes from Medicare, the federal health insurance for people age 65 and older, and Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that provides health insurance to individuals who meet certain functional and financial requirements.
DeSino hopes her experience working with federal and state regulations will be useful in her new position at the SBDC, and she will also use her experience as an entrepreneur to help other entrepreneurs.
She said the SBDC offers free and low-cost consulting and training. For example, the cutting-edge business planning course provides guidance on all aspects of starting and growing a business. The next session of the course will begin on August 28.
DeSino said it’s important for her to listen to what entrepreneurs want and find the resources to meet those needs.
The Business Incubator Center provides many of these resources, she said. An incubator program and commercial kitchen provide low-cost space and shared services. A revolving loan fund provides access to capital. The center also oversees a program that provides tax credits for capital projects. Providing space, equipment and resources for entrepreneurs, inventors and others to develop, prototype and manufacture products. The center also operates FWorks, a shared office space located on the second floor of the Fruita Civic Center.
According to the 2023 annual report, the Business Incubation Center assisted in launching 43 start-ups and graduated 18 companies from the incubator program. The center has supported 446 entrepreneurs. Businesses and entrepreneurs served by the center have created 745 jobs, $5.3 million in capital formation, and nearly $17.8 million in customer sales.
DeSino encouraged entrepreneurs not to take risks blindly when starting a business, but to seek help from the SBDC and business incubators. “If they have questions, they can call us.”
Grand Junction Small Business The Development Center is located in the Business Incubator Center at 2591 Legacy Way. For more information on the programs and services offered by the Center, please call
(970) 243-5242 or log in https://grandjunctionsbdc.org.
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