(Asheville, NC)—Local small business owners Frank Trombetta and Barry Thorne are thriving in the current economy, thanks in large part to assistance from Montreat College MBA students.

“My revenues have increased 30 percent,” said Trombetta, owner of alternative health clinic WNC Functional Health. “The insight and professionalism of these students has opened many new opportunities for growing my business.”

Montreat College partners with the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center, a service that provides comprehensive support to business owners and entrepreneurs, to match student teams with businesses ready to tap into new markets for growth.

As their final project in the two-year curriculum, the students completed a semester of in-depth market analysis and provided specific marketing plans to help Trombetta and Thorne reach their goals.

These projects also provide the students, who are also often working professionals, with valuable experience to apply the business principles they have learned in the classroom. “This class project allowed me to make a difference for a local business while honing my consulting expertise,” said MBA student Ashley Swanger, whose team worked with Thorne, the owner of Golden Needle, a company that distributes acupuncture supplies and herbal medicines.

The cohort from Montreat College included Carol Beheler, Jeff Bridgman, John Igharas, David Strosnider, Laura Harrison, Sharon Smith and Ashley Swanger. Dr. Alfred Lewis supervised the Capstone Project.

Student teams from Montreat College and Western Carolina University provided more than 4,300 hours of consulting support to SBTDC clients in 2007.  Information about this program can be obtained by contacting the SBTDC at (828) 251-6025.