Carole Nelson joined the Nebraska Business Development Center in September 1995 as part-time Assistant Director. Her nominator reports that while her position may be classified as "part-time" the contribution she has made to the NBDC office has been phenomenal and represents full-time dedication and commitment.
Carole's primary duties are to provide business management consulting assistance to people who own or are considering ownership of a business. She provides personalized, comprehensive assistance that includes extensive research and a continual focus on serving clients in a most effective manner. Feedback from her clients is overwhelmingly positive. Client satisfaction surveys have included comments such as "Carole was great to work with and very helpful. The assistance I received was priceless." and "Carole was wonderful in my plight." Numerous notes and letters are received complimenting Carole on her consulting expertise and thanking her for assistance she provides.
In addition to doing a top-rate job at her basic duties, Carole developed a seminar to teach the fundamentals of the Quickbooks accounting software that was first presented in March 1997 and is now offered twice a year. The Quickbooks seminar is very popular with a perpetual waiting list. Carole has developed a very visable market niche that meets the needs of NBDC clients, effectively expands the services of NBDC in a manner consistent with our overall mission, and generates a great revenue stream for the office.
Carole also did a great job in adopting a lead role in the coordination and scheduling of a business tax/recordkeeping seminar held early in 1998. She makes presentations to various business and community groups telling them about the services offered by NBDC. She has helped the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) with their "Mind Your Business" seminar, presenting basic information on business plans, SBA programs, and NBDC services. Many speaking engagements are outside regular working hours. Carole is an excellent representative for NBDC and the University and does a tremendous job of tailoring her presentation to the particular needs and focus of each group.
Carole is a team player, always willing to help whenever asked, and often anticipates needs of others in the office. She is an enthusiastic and positive member of the staff keeping the needs of the client and the mission of the department first. Both the level and quality of her daily production is excellent. In 1998 alone, Carole assisted over 100 clients, and many of the clients had extensive projects, entailing numerous hours of assistance. Carole's hard work has helped the department to exceed by a substantial margin the goals set for the NBDC office by the funding agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration. By November of 1998, the department already exceeded their client case goals by 234%.
Carole's professionalism and enthusiasm help to keep the morale and productivity of the office at high levels. She exhibits good judgment and can handle complex and difficult situations well. Her position requires discretion and respect for the confidentiality of clients. For these reasons, Carole Nelson has been named the University of Nebraska at Kearney Employee of the Month for March 1999.