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Notable Activities                Chinese

Services Cooperative Association has been very active in community and entrepreneurial activities since 1983. Our many benchmarking activities include:

1983 Founded the nation's first business and professional cooperative for entrepreneurial education.
1984 Sent delegates to the Texas State Entrepreneurship Education Conference where one was appointed coordinator for the Greater Houston Area Entrepreneurship Education Steering Committee.
1985 Founded the first small business incubator in Houston, the Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC), which houses start-up and emerging companies. The EDC has become Texas' oldest business incubator.
1986 Sent delegates to the White House Conference on Small Business where one was elected Vice Chairman of the Texas Delegation and another was co-author of a resolution that became law.
1987 Received a Mayoral Proclamation for graduating the first Houston company from a business incubator.
1988 Sponsored the "First Houston Entrepreneurship Awards" recognizing those organizations fostering small business growth in Houston and became a charter incubator for the Texas Business Incubator Association.
1989 Sponsored the "First Houston Small Business Seed Capital Fund" to provide financial assistance to start-up and early development stage companies.
1990 Founded the nation's first business incubator for women, the Womens Business Center (WBC), with development programs to accelerate the growth of woman-owned businesses and the female career professional.
1991 Founded the Software Business Center (SBC), the first business incubator for software developers and computer-related companies and formed the Incubator Self Sufficiency Group (ISSG), an economic development service bureau.
1992 Founded the Product Development Center (PDC), a business incubator for inventors, investors, new product commercialization and technology transfer.
1993 Founded the International Business Center (IBC), the first business incubator for international services, importers and exporters and created the nation's first Certified Business Incubators for the Texas Business Incubator Association in the "Beta Project for Certification, Efficiency and Curriculum Development"
1994 Sponsored the first "Tribute to Houston's Entrepreneurial Community" recognizing outstanding entrepreneurial leadership in Houston.
1995 Houston host incubator for the United States Information Agency - Institute of International Education, International Visitors Program and recognized "Houston - Emerging Business Capital of the World!"
1996 Received a Mayoral Proclamation for sponsoring "Entrepreneurial Community Tribute Day, July 3, 1996," sent delegates to the Texas Governor's Conference on Small Business where one was co-author of a resolution for legislation to prohibit public/private competition and sponsored the "Living the American Dream Award" recognizing self-made entrepreneurial success.
1997 Created the "Building Your American Dream" educational program for business owners, founded the Health-Medical Enterprise Center (H/MEC), a business incubator for healthcare product and service providers and sponsored the "8th Entrepreneurial Workshop and 1997 Tribute to Houston's Entrepreneurial Community."
1998 Celebrated 15 years as "Houston's CrossRoads" bringing together the diversity of the Houston Business Community and received a Certificate of Recognition from Houston City Council for 15th Annual Houston Business Breakfast.
1999 Received a Mayoral Proclamation signifying July 7, 1999 as "Services Cooperative Association Emerging Business Day" and sponsored the "10th Entrepreneurial Workshop - Accelerated Entrepreneurship."
2000 Recognized as "One of Houston's Core Entrepreneurial Groups" by the University of Houston Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and recognized "as an industry leader and pioneer in business incubation" by the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA).
2001 Received the "2001 BBB Gold Star Award" from the Greater Houston Area Better Business Bureau, nominated for the Annual Innovation Award by the NBIA and received a Mayoral Proclamation "Services Cooperative Association Day - July 3rd."
2002 Created the "Houston Hospitality Program" to assist small business owners from other countries in starting businesses in Houston.
2003 Celebrated 20 years as "Houston's Emerging Business CrossRoads" with national recognition and sponsored the First Annual "Holiday Gift Exchange" for the Federation of Houston Networking Groups."
2004 Sponsored  "Houston Heroes"  luncheon recognizing those groups empowering local entrepreneurs and received a Mayoral Proclamation signifying July 1, 2004 as "Services Cooperative Association Houston Heroes Day."
2005 Sponsored the 16th Annual Entrepreneurial Workshop "Entrepreneurial Excellence" recognizing Houston's entrepreneurial independence.
2006 Invited by the People's Republic of China to speak at the formation of the Women Entrepreneurs Association in China.
2007 Sponsored the Women's Business Assistance Forum Online for women business owners assisting other women business owners.
1983
to present
Continued sponsor of annual economic development events including "Houston Business Breakfast Economic Forecast" the first week in January, "Entrepreneurial Workshop" to celebrate Independence Day, "Free Enterprise Trade Fair and Mini Business Expo" in April and November, "Halloween Business BooFest" in October and the "Holiday Gift Exchange" in December, both benefiting a local charity.



"We grow companies and build careers. May we assist with yours?"

For immediate response about Business Development for incubators,
resident companies and entrepreneurs, send e-mail to:
Emerging Business Centers

Services Cooperative Association
9600 Long Point Road, Suite 150
Houston, Texas 77055
713-932-7495 voice
713-932-7498 fax
email: service@serviceSCA.org

For more information about this site, contact:  Business Support Center - a Womens Business Center graduate company

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