My second summer with the South Central Idaho SBDC has been exciting and productive! Every day, the team at the SBDC helps businesses with fewer than 500 employees develop plans to succeed. With the growth of online apps and marketing campaigns, many small businesses find it challenging to compete for highly skilled, trained and qualified employees. Working with Director Matsuoka and his team has given me an opportunity to brainstorm and work on projects designed to build a stronger pipeline from K-12 education to employment. Our work supports a variety of different industries and will strengthen local business and industry in the Magic Valley and beyond. The great thing about our work is that it isn’t ending! We are continuing to develop a partnership with secondary CTE programs. Our hope is that the partnership will help us build lasting connections between industry and education.