Welcome to your Southwest Idaho Small Business Development Center

Serving: Adams, Valley, Washington, Boise, Payette, Gem, Canyon, Ada, Elmore, and Owyhee Counties

Logo for Boise State University

2360 West University Drive, Suite 2132
Boise, ID 83725

(208) 426-3875

Impacting Southwest Idaho with our no-cost consulting & affordable training

Icon of person wearing tie

269

Jobs
Created

Icon of bag of money

$7M

Capital
Raised

Icon of chart with growth

$22M

Sales
Increase

Icon of three people in business attire

9

Business
Starts

Meet the Staff

thumbnail of lady in red

Marie Baker

Regional Director

(208) 426-3838
mariebaker@boisestate.edu

Marie joined the SBDC in March of 2019 and is passionate about entrepreneurs and their journey. Marie’s skill set is the ability to work collaboratively and assist clients with achieving their goals.

Marie received her BS in Business from Fresno State and Master’s Degree in Organizational Development from University of San Francisco. Marie spent five years in banking before starting her own business.

Combining her education and experience, Marie went on to consult,
coach, and educate small businesses in the Central Valley of California before moving to Idaho.

In her spare time, you will find her hiking, volunteering on a local Rotary project, visiting family, or enjoying the great outdoors with her husband and dog.

thumbnail of Debbie Winkler

Debbie Winkler

Senior Business Consultant

Debbie joined the Idaho SBDC in February 2008. Her prior work experience includes the role of Business Improvement Consultant with Boise Business Consulting, a family owned business. Prior to working in the family business, Debbie was Senior Vice President and Manager of National Consumer Training and Associate Development for Bank of America.

In addition, Debbie was Vice President and Manager of Business Banking for First Republic Bank, and Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Commercial Banking Group, for First Republic Bank (a predecessor of Bank of America). Debbie is a graduate of the University of Texas, Austin, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.

Kim Sherman-Labrum

Kim Sherman-Labrum

Business Consultant

(208) 426-1612
KLabrum@boisestate.edu

Kim started with the Idaho SBDC in 1998 as the regional administrative assistant as she pursued her degree. After several years, she took over the training program and turned it from an underperforming, deficit program to an award-winning program with a surplus budget. Over the years, she has designed curriculum and taught classes on a variety of business and technology topics. She planned and executed a rural outreach program that caught the eye of Google and was featured in a video for their Get Your Business Online program.

In 2012, she became a business consultant with a focus on online marketing, social media strategies, graphic and web design, as well as franchises and startups. Throughout her career, she has successfully guided countless clients in enhancing their online presence leading to business growth. She has assisted clients with startups and franchises, facilitated funding opportunities, and assisted in the recruitment and retainment of employees as well as devised innovative strategies to manage a small business. She has recently passed the $5 million mark in client revenue generation.

She holds a B.A. in Graphic Design from Boise State University as well as a Credential of Readiness Harvard Business School CORe. She has been a High Impact Partner for the Grow with Google program for multiple years.

2023 Grow with Google High Impact Partner

Marissa Diaz, Idaho SBDC, Photo by John Kelly

Marissa Diaz

Management Assistant

Marissa has worked for the Idaho SBDC for 16 years. She recently took on a new role as a Region 3 Management Assistant and Training Coordinator. Marissa is currently going back to school to get her Bachelor of Accountancy.

Ruth Schwartz

Ruth Schwartz

Senior Business Consultant

Ruth Schwartz joined the Idaho SBDC in March of 2020, She has been a life-long entrepreneur and business owner. She spent 25 years in the music industry: radio, publishing, producing, retail.

Most notably, Ruth started, built and sold a $10 million, wholesale, music, distribution company. She has owned and operated a leadership training and coaching company, a debt collection company and an Amazon store.

Ruth is a Professionally Certified Business Leadership Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) through the National Development Conference and is the author of the book, The Key to the Golden Handcuffs: Stop Being a Slave to Your Business. She is certified in over four assessment sciences and the creator of the Fail Proof Hiring Program. She is a Distinguished Toastmaster and a member of the National Speakers’ Association.

Hailing from the Sierra Foothills in Northern California, Ruth taught at the Sierra Commons Business Incubator and became a consultant with the California SBDC before her move to Idaho in 2017.

headshot

Sarah DeAlba

Business Consultant

Sarah joined the SBDC in December 2022 as a Senior Business Consultant.  Her education and experience surrounds business management, operations, and financial analysis within the healthcare, insurance, and utility industries.  Her career includes positions of leadership in large organizations as well as smaller entrepreneurial experiences with owning businesses and managing investments.

She earned degrees in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and Boise State University.

Equipped with a positive energy approach, she enjoys working with people to assist them in achieving their dreams and goals!

Edward Packer

Edward Packer

Business Consultant

Edward Packer joined the Idaho SBDC in December 2022. He has 26 years of financial management experience in several different capacities (Chief Operations Officer at a regional branch, Vice President of Commercial Lending, and on a national level, Asset Manager for the FDIC). This is combined with experience of managing a new and used car dealership business, providing a good foundation to assist business owners. He enjoys collaborating with customers and likes to partner in achieving their goals.

In addition, Edward has a bachelor’s degree in business and minor in accounting from Lewis Clark State College. This is in addition to being an honors graduate from Pacific Coast Banking (Executive Bank Management Program) which is affiliated with the University of Washington.

Edward is married with four daughters and three grandchildren. He’s a native Idahoan and grew up on a farm and ranch near Grangeville, Idaho.

Edward looks forward to, and welcomes new challenges.

Misty Haacke, Idaho SBDC, Photo by John Kelly

Misty Haacke

Administrative Assistant/ Building Manager

Misty Haacke started working for the Idaho SBDC in July 2023. She is so excited for her new position as the Administrative Assistant / Building Manager at the Nampa Business Accelerator.   She is currently finishing her degree in Business Management at Western Governors University. Misty is married and has three wonderful children.  As a family they love to go fishing, hiking, and camping.

Our Host Universities & Affiliates
Logo for Boise State University
Logo for Lewis-Clark State College
Logo for Idaho State University
Logo for North Idaho College
Logo for College of Southern Idaho
Logo for SBA
Logo for America's SBDC
The owner of this website has made a committment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.