MTIP Program Consultant Wins SBA’s Tibbetts Award

Bozeman business consultant Marti Elder has received recognition from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for her work assisting Montana small businesses through the Montana Department of Commerce.

Elder, independent business consultant and Certified Licensing Professional, is one of eight individuals honored by the SBA with a Tibbetts Award, which acknowledges outstanding small businesses and individuals who participate in the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

The Montana Department of Commerce contracts with Elder to provide business consulting through the Montana Technology Innovation Partnership (MTIP) program, http://www.mtip.mt.gov. MTIP links to experts, like Elder, who help businesses move their technologies to market and compete for federal research and development funding.

"For rural states like Montana, these federal programs represent a critical source of start-up capital for the early research and development of innovative new technologies," said Dore Schwinden, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce. "Marti Elder has helped countless Montana businesses obtain federal awards through the MTIP program."

"Businesses are facing transformation like never before," said Christine Bell, MTIP Program Manager. "Our MTIP consultants assist technology companies to successfully compete for research program opportunities and to commercialize their innovations."

Tibbetts Award winners are selected based on the economic impact of their technological innovation, and on whether they have met federal research and development needs, encouraged diverse participation in technological innovation, and increased the commercialization of federal research.

Two types of Tibbetts Awards exist: awards for businesses that have participated in the SBIR Phase I and II award programs, and awards for individuals who have supported the SBIR Program but who have not received economic assistance from the program.

The SBIR program accounted for approximately $2.5 billion in FY 2010 in federal research and development funds and is coordinated by the SBA in cooperation with 11 federal agencies.

"Small Business Innovation Research contracts averaging a total of $8.5 million per year in Montana are the single best source of seed funding for growing local technology," said Marti Elder, a recipient of this year’s award. "Our ability to assist companies in this program is on a direct path to achieving economic gains for our state. It’s my privilege to be part of the growth process."