Noller, Shelton Among '40 Under 40' Recognized by America's SBDC

Two members of the Missouri SBDC (Small Business Development Center) team will be recognized by America's SBDC as among its top 40 Under 40 Young Professionals: Sherry Noller, interim state director, and Travin Shelton, director of business growth services.

The America's SBDC national Top 40 Under 40 Young Professionals Award recognizes SBDC staff who demonstrate innovation, leadership and commitment to the SBDC mission.

Travin Shelton, of Rolla, launched a program in 2020 named Elevate. In collaboration with the Edward Lowe Foundation, Elevate provides more intensive business counseling to second-stage businesses -- typically, businesses with 10 to 99 full-time employees, $750,000 to $5 million in sales and the opportunity to grow beyond their current market area. Businesses selected for the Elevate program work with specialized consultants and share their experiences through peer roundtables.

Sherry Noller, of Joplin, joined Missouri SBDC in 2012 as a research associate. She served in a variety of roles before becoming interim state director in May 2022 following the retirement of longtime Missouri SBDC leader Greg Tucker. "Noller has shown incredible drive and initiative as she moved into a leadership role far beyond the expectations of the associate state director of marketing and communications," Tucker said. "During the global pandemic, she stepped up without being asked to serve a leadership role that allowed the Missouri SBDC to be a better organization coming out of the pandemic."

Noller and Shelton will be recognized Sept. 8 during the America's SBDC annual conference in San Diego at a reception sponsored by Thryv.

The Missouri SBDC (sbdc.missouri.edu) is here to help business owners and entrepreneurs get the information needed to make confident decisions and help Missouri businesses succeed. It doesn't matter if the business is a metro area start up or a rural company looking to expand. The business experts of the Missouri SBDC are your neighbors, dedicated to helping businesses grow. The Missouri SBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is a partner of the University of Missouri Extension Business Development Program.