Success Stories
Surety Bond Associates
In 2003 the Temple SBDC assisted over 800 entrepreneurs with their small businesses. One of those entrepreneurs, Ellen Neylan, stands out as showing excellent potential in her industry. Ms. Neylan is President of Surety Bond Associates, a woman-owned company that develops and markets innovative surety bond services and provides technical assistance to small, minority and women-owned businesses in the Mid-Atlantic construction industry. Surety Bond Associates is licensed as a surety agency, and appointed to represent select surety company writers.
Surety Bond Associates initially sought assistance from the Temple SBDC Creative Department with the development and execution of marketing materials. The company’s services require rigorous and complicated application processes. As a result, Surety Bond Associates requested assistance with creating a single marketing piece that simplifies the application process in the minds of its target market and clearly communicates its services as well as the benefits.
The Creative Department met with Ms. Neylan several times to gain a clear understanding of Surety Bond Associates’ services and benefits and to determine, in conjunction with Ms. Neylan, the most effective manner for creation and distribution of a professional, concise marketing piece.
The Creative Department developed and designed a “Surety Bond Tool Kit” marketing folder that simplifies the bond application process for potential Surety Bond Associates clients. The Creative Department also created an insert page that functions as a “Bond Application Guide” to assist in easing the application process.
As a result, Surety Bond Associates is equipped with a professional, concise marketing folder that generates awareness about its services, communicates the benefits it offers and clearly explains the application process for its clients. Ms. Neylan plans to distribute the folder at her upcoming seminars.
In addition to marketing assistance, the Creative Department also identified Ms. Neylan’s need for affordable office space and referred her to the Temple SBDC Business Incubator Program. Surety Bond Associates was accepted as a tenant into the Incubator Program in April 2003. As an Incubator tenant, Ms. Neylan has access to a professional workstation, executive office suite for private business meetings, training rooms for hosting seminars and a business address within an Empowerment Zone. The client was referred to the Temple SBDC Legal Clinic where she obtained assistance with developing a legal contract.
As an Incubator tenant, Surety Bond Associates is required to establish short-term quarterly goals. With assistance from the Incubator Manager, Ms. Neylan established initial goals to hire a part-time employee and to apply for a large New Jersey contract to provide surety bond training.
The client accomplished her goals by hiring a part-time assistant and successfully applying for a New Jersey contract.
As a result, in October 2003 the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (NJSCC) Office of Diversity and Emerging Business Markets awarded Surety Bond Associates a three-year contract to develop and operate the Bonding Assistance Program.
In addition, Channel 6 Primetime recently interviewed Surety Bond Associates at the Temple SBDC. The local news station featured the company in a story on local women-owned businesses. The Temple SBDC staff assisted Ms. Neylan with set design and computer generated images for backdrop display during the interview.
Surety Bond Associates has grown to become the leading provider of SBA backed bonds in the Mid-Atlantic region. Ms. Neylan’s entrepreneurial spirit, commitment, discipline and drive combined with her ability to reach out to the Temple SBDC for advice and support have enabled her to develop and grow her business. The Temple SBDC will continue to support Surety Bond Associates and looks forward to the company’s continued success.
"The Temple SBDC has provided Surety Bond Associates with a
number of valuable resources that have attributed to the expansion
of my business, and we have partnered with them on several initiatives.
As an Incubator client, our company has access to client meeting and
workshop space, and the Creative Department did an excellent job designing
our new bond application kit. I proudly consider the SBDC consultants
as members of Surety Bond Associates' professional advisory board!"
-Ellen Neylan, President Surety Bond Associates