American and Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Network: Youth Entrepreneurs Network’s Kugler named to national SBDC association board

Contact Information

American and Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Network

Gayle Kugler –Director UW EX/DEED, SBDC, WEN, A & WYEN P-2 Co-founder

(608) 263-7812

Ben Hobbins –American and WYEN Founder, Wisconsin Entrepreneur

(608) 513-3535

MADISON – The American and Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Network’s co-founder, Gayle Kugler has been named to the national Board of Directors of the Association of Small Business Development Centers at the group’s annual conference held this week in San Antonio. She will serve as one of 10 state directors for the Association of Small Business Development Centers’ national board. The Association represents America’s Small Business Development Center Network.

“Gayle is being recognized and rewarded for hard work and dedication to the advancement of entrepreneurship in our country’’, says Ben Hobbins, founder of the ’06 American and Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Network project.

The mission of the SBDC network is to grow small business in America by helping new entrepreneurs realize their dreams of business ownership, and assisting existing businesses to remain viable. In Wisconsin, the Network is co-funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

At a historic event April 14th 2010 at the State Capitol, the SBDC Network celebrated it’s 30th and WEN it’s 5th anniversaries, along with hard launch of American and the Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Networks in an event presided over by UW EX Chancellor David Wilson, Eric Ness of the SBA, Wisconsin Commerce Secretary Aaron Olver, Kim Kindshi and Gayle Kugler from UW EX/DEED, and Ben Hobbins from the Youth Entrepreneurs Network.

“Gayle’s vision, leadership, drive and ability to implement innovative ideas at the state and national scale are qualities the association will make good use of,’’ says Hobbins, ‘’and the national role is great news for coordination and development activities for American and state by state youth entrepreneurs networks’’.

Kugler is the associate director of the University of Wisconsin-Extension’s Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. She is also the state director of the Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network (WEN) -both programs within UW-Extension, part of the Core Executive Team and co-founder of Phase 2 of the American and Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs Network with Wisconsin entrepreneur and founder Ben Hobbins. She brought the Edward Lowe Foundation’s “Companies to Watch” annual award program to Wisconsin.

Through 12 Small Business Development Centers located on University of Wisconsin campuses and the statewide Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network, the Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development provides training; information about financial, technological and other resources; one-on-one business counseling; and networking opportunities to help entrepreneurs create new businesses and grow existing businesses.

The University of Wisconsin-Extension makes the research and resources of the University of Wisconsin available for the benefit of all the citizens of the state through outreach that includes Cooperative Extension offices in 72 counties and three tribal nations; 12 Small Business Development Centers located in UW campuses; the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network; Outreach and E-Learning programs delivered via the 26 UW System campuses and distance-learning channels; as well as the statewide networks of Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television.

A lifelong Wisconsin resident, Kugler earned her bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison and has completed graduate-level courses in management, leadership, human resources, business education and entrepreneurial leadership at UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee and the University of Chicago.