For the past eight years, our Business Librarian, Anne Macdonald, has had a side-gig as a market research consultant with the Larimer County Small Business Development Center (SBDC), where she works with existing and new businesses to help them grow and prosper. Anne has contributed over 1,100 hours meeting with more than 400 clients from industries as wide-reaching as health and wellness, restaurants, and creative services.
For all of Anne’s dedication to working with these entrepreneurs, she was recently named the SBDC Consultant of the Year for 2016.
“Anne meets with clients with genuine enthusiasm for their business, and she always goes above and beyond to get them the information they may not even know they need,” explains Kat Rico, administrator at SBDC.
Fellow SBDC consultant Jim McWilliams adds, “I send most of my clients to her, and the information they get is always excellent.”
Anne specializes in industry and market trend research; customer, competition, and demographic research for small businesses. She brings a deep knowledge of business resources, research databases, and community resources available through Poudre River Public Library District to each of her client consultations.
“We really appreciate Anne being a connection,” says Kat. “She’s great at keeping us up-to-date on what’s available through the library and for our business community.”
In addition to lending her expertise to the SBDC, Anne also works with individuals through the Library District and is available for one-on-one meetings to discuss market research and analysis and to teach methods for effectively using the many research resources available onsite. More information about the Library’s business resources can be found on the online Business Center or by calling the Library District Answer Center at 970-221-6740.