HARRISBURG, Pa. – Rep. Donna Oberlander (R-Clarion/Armstrong/Forest) will be able to better assist small businesses and budding entrepreneurs grow the economy and create local jobs through her work as a newly appointed member of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center (PASBDC) Advisory Board.
Oberlander was appointed August 1 by House Republican leaders and will bring her immense experience as a former small business owner to the advisory board.
“As a certified finance professional from the National Development Council and a former business outreach manager with Clarion County Economic Development Corporation, I’m excited to bring my own experiences to the advisory board, so that I can help other entrepreneurs and business owners make their dreams a reality,” said Oberlander.
“Who better to understand the challenges and complexities of starting, owning and expanding a small business than someone who has walked in their shoes and worked with our local SBDC with my own venture. I’m appreciative of this opportunity and look forward to working with SBDCs all over the state.”
The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center provides no-cost confidential consulting and low-cost training in proven management fundamentals helping small business owners and potential entrepreneurs make sound decisions for the successful operation of their business. Eighteen centers are located throughout Pennsylvania, including one at Clarion University.
During her tenure in the House, Oberlander has worked on numerous small business and pro-jobs policies. In fact, her legislation to allow diverse businesses in Pennsylvania to better compete globally was signed into law as Act 171 of 2017. This new law requires the state Department of General Services to establish a process to formally recognize all Pennsylvania-based minority-, woman- and veteran-owned businesses – also known as “diverse/disadvantaged” businesses – to make it easier to complete in the procurement process.
In recognition of her strong support for pro-business legislation, she has earned consecutive “Guardian of Small Business” awards from the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
Before her time in the state House, Oberlander served on the Clarion County Board of Commissioners, where she aggressively worked to control local government spending and took an active role in strategic planning for economic development and growth.
