About Us.
The Ohio Small Business Development Center’s team at Youngstown State University developed the Inquisit digital assessment to give businesses a comprehensive and straightforward overview of their current capabilities across all key business functions. We gathered input from numerous experts to make sure the tool would be both effective and user-friendly.
For over thirty years, the Ohio Small Business Development Center at YSU has accelerated business growth, helped to create jobs, and contributed to the economy by providing consulting and training to existing companies and new start-ups. Through its Export Assistance Network, the Center also helps companies with initiating or expanding international trade and exporting opportunities to compete in the global marketplace.
Our methodology is supported by well-known business concepts. The Inquisit assessment covers nine key business areas. The questions in each category are based on best practices of high performing companies. Your score indicates how closely your company follows these best practices, as determined by experts in the field.
g r o w t h
We focus on nine key areas
Process Optimization
Financial Analysis
Growth
Human Resources
Management by Data
Customer Focus
Planning Process
Sales and Marketing
Company Direction & Leadership
Meet our team.
Patricia K. Veisz
Inquisit Project Sponsor
SBDC Director | SBDC at YSU
In her role as Director of the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Youngstown State University, Patricia is dedicated to the business growth of their clients, the economic development of the region, and the preparation of business students at YSU. This has led to new programs and opportunities that have served our companies, as well as the students engaged in our work.
In 2019, the Ohio SBDC at YSU received the “National SBDC Service, Excellence, and Innovation Award” from the U.S. Small Business Administration, for its contributions to the business community. Patricia and her team continue to promote innovation, leading the charge to take Inquisit from inception to launch by providing a new way for entrepreneurs to assess, learn and growth their business.
Christine J. Smith
Inquisit Project Manager
SBDC Consultant | SBDC at YSU
Christine’s ambition is to help business owners achieve success. She works with entrepreneurs to create effective strategies for growth, including production analysis and sales-skill building, as well as coaching them on how to increase focus, clarity, and balance. Christine is passionate about developing innovative solutions to complex problems and initiated the development of the Inquisit Assessment to provide businesses with a holistic review of their current business operations and its readiness to face future challenges.
Stacey L. Eaton, MAEd.
Inquisit Designer & Developer
Owner | Eaton EDU
Stacey is an Instructional Designer and Developer and the owner of Eaton EDU, a Learning and Technology Company that assists clients with bringing their ideas to existence while feeling empowered and supported. One of her favorite questions to ask when designing technology solutions for her clients is “What is the goal here?”. Consistently zooming out to the big picture results in solutions that are efficient and practical – complimenting companies’ business practices instead of dictating them. The answer to this question – to provide a simple and streamlined process for SBDC consultants to help their clients – drove the design and development of the Inquisit Assessment and complementing educational opportunities.
Need more information? Contact us.
