The Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) announced last month that 16 staff members, two of whom were from Wilmington, completed the National Development Council’s economic development finance professional certification program, according to a news release.
 
The SBTDC is a statewide business advisory service of the University of North Carolina system administered by N.C. State University and operated in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The staff’s program participation was supported by BB&T.
 
Janis Mueller and Fran Scarlett, of the SBTDC office based at University of North Carolina Wilmington, were named as recipients.
 
The nationally recognized program includes three weeklong classes and requires passage of an examination following each class. The training focuses on creating opportunities in the following areas: business credit, real estate finance analysis, loan packaging procedures, negotiating and problem-solving skills and deal- structuring techniques.