Services
Cooperative Association
A unique business development organization founded
and funded by a group of small business men and women who recognized the value in
fostering individual initiative in the free enterprise system at grass roots levels of
emerging enterprises.
Created from an
economic development research project of the Houston
Chamber of Commerce - Small Business Council from 1977 to 1982, the cooperative held
its first public meeting on March 14, 1983, with 14 companies represented.
As of December 23rd, 2020, more than 100,015 people have attended SCA business building programs, more than
75,302 tips, leads, referrals and new business items have been reported generating
revenues of over one billion dollars, multiple SCA Chapters
have operated throughout Houston, and Co-Op companies have won
virtually every award for business growth in Houston, some nationally and even
internationally.
The Co-Op has received national and international acclaim for its accomplishments in
economic development and entrepreneurship education, totally without grants, gifts,
contributions, donations or public funding.
The methodology of The Co-Op is to teach entrepreneurship in a synergistic environment,
conducive to the growth of emerging enterprises, where early stage entrepreneurs have the
opportunity to interact with owners of established companies for a demonstration of the
ability to be self-sufficient and self-reliant common to all successful enterprise
development projects while utilizing SCA's Rapid Growth System® and The Co-Op Advantage®
to supply the components necessary for accelerated business growth, summarized as:
Market Expansion, Business Development, Entrepreneurial Education and Professional Growth.
What is learned in 6 months with The Co-Op will last a lifetime for a business owner.
SCA was the first to
recognize the importance of
small business development, entrepreneurship education and emerging business incubation
and dedicated its efforts to providing these vital services independent of the whims of
public funding.
SCA sponsored the first
small business
incubator in Houston, which became the oldest in Texas, the first Womens Business Center in
the nation and both the first virtual
incubation program and residency
incubator in the world, again totally without grants, gifts, contributions, donations
or tax dollars.
That Houston had more business incubators, more universities teaching entrepreneurship,
more business networking
groups and more business starts, since 1999, than any other city in the United States, is
a tribute to SCA's vision.
We believe:"To teach entrepreneurship, you must be able to do it." and
that nothing surpasses the expertise of successful business owners in teaching emerging
entrepreneurs to become successful business owners.
To establish a Small Business Development Co-Op in your area, click here.
To see some of the things SCA has done for the community, click here.
To see a few of our endorsements, click here.
To see our letter to Washington, click here.
IRS Form W-9 here.
"Once again, thank
you so sincerely." Yeboa Amoa, Managing Director, Ghana Stock Exchange
(after his delegation's visit to SCA and the business incubators.)
®Service
Mark of Services Cooperative Association |