Southeastern Louisiana University

Joubert receives 'State Star' award from national association

Contact: Rene Abadie

10/27/06

     HAMMOND – William Joubert, director of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Southeast Louisiana Business Center, was recognized with a “State Star” award by the National Association of Small Business Development Centers.

     Joubert received the award – presented to top business consultants across the nation – at the organization’s recent annual conference in Houston. He was recognized for his innovations in business plan development, intensive consultation approach, and efforts following Hurricane Katrina to assist area businesses in their recovery.

     “We’re honored that the work of Bill Joubert and our business center has gotten the national attention that it has earned,” said John Crain, Southeastern provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The efforts of the entire staff at the center have been intensive, especially in the post-Katrina environment, and we believe their work has helped spur the recovery and growing economic development of this entire region.”

     Joubert, who has been doing business consultation for more than 15 years, also serves as director of the Southeastern’s Small Business Development Center. The entities share a mission of facilitating economic growth in the region.

     “I’m proud to be selected a ‘State Star,’” Joubert said. “Working with business owners in the region and helping to advance the economic development of this area have been a challenging and exciting opportunity.”

     The State Star award cited Joubert’s three-step business plan model that guides a client through the process of developing a plan, including a financial section that illustrates cash-flow to bankers and potential investors.

     “In the last three years, this model has helped north shore businesses raise over $100 million in loans and other investment capital,” Joubert explained. “Approximately 80 percent of businesses using the model are able to get funding. The model works so well that we are able to create a business start-up or expansion every week.”

     The Small Business Development Center uses an intensive, one-on-one approach to business consultation that emphasizes personal attention to clients.

     “Our approach is to listen to the business owner, managers and employees,” he said. “Businesses are like living, breathing people; as they grow, they need resources and guidance. And, just like people, businesses get sick. The trick is to understand the various life cycles of business and where the client is in that cycle. Then we can provide effective assistance.”

     The award recognized Joubert’s leadership in helping to establish the Southeast Louisiana Business Center, a one-stop-shop located near the university’s campus that includes several business assistance organizations under one roof as well as space for an incubator to encourage start-up of small businesses. The center, considered a model of university-private-public cooperation for economic development, is being adapted in other locales.

     The efforts of the business center staff following Hurricane Katrina received special recognition by the association. Immediately following the hurricane, Joubert’s team set up computers loaded with popular business software and wireless Internet access in Hammond and at a similar site in St. Tammany Parish to help area businesses that needed access to computers and communications equipment.

     To assist area businesses, the staff mastered the Small Business Administration disaster loan program, then conducted numerous seminars throughout the north shore and Florida Parishes. More than 1,000 businesses were assisted with SBA disaster loan applications, and the seminar and loan packaging model were adopted by SBDCs throughout the state

     Joubert, who previously served as director of Southeastern’s SBDC and worked at a regional accounting firm before taking over directorship of the business center, has been recognized as one of the area’s prominent business consultants. He serves on the boards of several economic development agencies, including the Florida Parishes Economic Development Association, Tangipahoa Economic Development Foundation, St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation, Hammond Industrial Development Board, Hammond Area Economic Development District and the Dixie Business Incubator Board. 

     A graduate of Louisiana State University in economics and international trade and finance, Joubert also holds a master of business administration degree from Southeastern. He holds certificates in business retention and business valuation and is currently completing the process to become a certified economic developer.