SCORE: AN OUTREACH TO SMALL BUSINESS.

• Author: JACKINSKY, McKIBBEN
• Position: Senior Corps of Retired Executives

"Been there-done that!" accurately sums up the efforts of 12,000-plus Senior Corps of Retired Executives volunteers across the U.S. who use their years of experience to help small businesses succeed. And a growing chorus of Alaskan voices are singing SCORE's praises.

Founded nationally in 1964 as a nonprofit association, SCORE is dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and developing businesses nationwide, and is a resource partner with the Small Business Administration. In spite of its name, not all SCORE members are retired; it includes both working and retired executive and small business owners willing to share their time and expertise.

Ron Veltkamp, Anchorage SBA public information and business development specialist, was there when Alaska's SCORE chapter was chartered in 1991, and SBA loan specialist Joyce Courtney, who manages Chapter 558, said Alaska's 15 SCORE counselors provided assistance to over 200 businesses in 1999.

"The (volunteers') ability to put back into the Alaska economy all their years of experience is invaluable," said Becky Beck, development specialist with Alaska's Department of Community and Economic Development's Division of Trade and Development.

The national organization helps bridge communication gaps with a well designed Web site offering access to a data bank of 597 topics, connecting users to counselors. Also offered is a business resource index linked to sites providing information on everything from amortized loans to zip codes.

To contact Alaskan SCORE counselors or for information on becoming a counselor, call Alaska's SCORE office (907-271-4022). The National SCORE office can be reached at 1-800-634-0245 and the Web site accessed at www.score.org.

SUCCESS STORIES.

* John Earl, owner of Kenai's Alaska Motor and Generator, repaired electric motors and generators all his life; but then he had the opportunity to buy out his partner. When Earl heard about SCORE from Kenai Peninsula...