Beginning with a garage-based youth sports performance fitness center, Major Fredrick Alcazar, USAF, Ret., went from training four student-athletes to 40 between June 2020 and January 2021. Because of this, Frederick and his wife, Heather, decided to search for a larger facility to accommodate them. Starting their search, they turned to the Oklahoma SBDC for help. Business Advisor Larry Siebert assisted them with financial research and projections for any potential facilities. However, due to the availability of lease spaces, Frederick and Heather decided to build their own.

The building process began in March 2021 with the choice between two plots of land in Piedmont, Oklahoma. Roadblocks would form early on in their plans for construction, but their total clients would grow to 78 by May 2021. During this time, Larry would continue to assist the Alcazar’s with more planning, financial projections, and opportunity assessment. Finally, after many bumps in the road, the construction loan was approved in September 2022, and work on the new facility began shortly after, with their client total reaching 197 around the same time through community marketing and word of mouth. Czar Athletics held its official grand opening on June 4, 2023, and as of October, they had grown to 380 athletes in their sports performance center.

“Mr. Siebert has always been a great and reliable resource and mentor as we grew our business and planned for our future,” says Frederick. “He drew our attention to REI as a financial source and has supplied great knowledge to help us succeed. Mr. Siebert truly cares about our business and helping us succeed.”

With a love for pets and travel, Jason and Ta Ratliff wanted to create a dog boarding and grooming facility. Focusing on service, quality, and cleanliness, this business aims to supply peace of mind for traveling pet owners. Looking for help with employee setup, marketing, and community outreach, Jason registered for advising with the Oklahoma SBDC (Small Business Development Center), working with Business Advisor Emily Beesley.

Emily walked Jason and Ta through the process of filling out employee paperwork, obtaining workplace posters and safety materials, and implementing best practices for human resources. To strengthen their marketing efforts, Emily encouraged them to contact the El Reno Chamber of Commerce to prepare a ribbon cutting and open house for their business. While working to plan the organization of the open house, Jason would continue to create marketing materials and invitations to spread the word about his business. This effort not only led to a successful ribbon cutting for Reno’s Boneyard but also increased its visibility within the El Reno and Yukon communities. With a successful launch and a strong start to marketing, Jason and his wife are using the momentum and their dedication to grow their community presence even more.

“… You know, I never heard of [the Oklahoma SBDC] before,” says Jason, “and it’s free, and it’s a good resource to use… I think that no matter what stage of planning, or business, [or industry] you’re in, I think there’s help… It’s a resource that should be used.”