| AMES, IA – America’s SBDC Iowa (SBDC) is pleased to announce that Port Louisa Transport of Wapello is the winner of the organization’s statewide April Small Business of the Month Award.
Port Louisa Transport is a non-medical transportation service that opened in Wapello in June of 2016. The service was opened after Tammy Keller saw a need and, without hesitation, decided to fill that need.
Tammy and her husband Kirk have a mentally challenged son who receives services from Hope Haven in Burlington, Iowa. The Kellers were having an increasingly difficult time finding reliable non-medical transport for their son to travel between Hope Haven and his doctors’ appointments. A counselor at Hope Haven was having a conversation with Tammy about this difficulty and jokingly said, “Why Tammy, why don’t you start a non-medical transportation company!” Tammy did not think about this idea for very long and, after discussing it with her husband, decided to look into purchasing a handicapped-accessible van. The couple purchased the van, put their own car into the fleet and began their adventure.
Janine Clover, Director at the Southeastern Small Business Development Center, highlights the wonderful experience of working with Tammy and Kirk. “As a counselor, you want to see businesses succeed, and it is wonderful to work with business owners and see their resilience, foresight and vision for what they want their business to become. When their vision comes true and they are successful, you know you have done your job well,” says Janine.
For more information on Port Louisa Transport: https://portlouisatransport.com/
America’s SBDC Iowa is an outreach program of Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu.
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, America’s SBDC Iowa has 15 regional assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since program inception in 1981, the SBDC has helped Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs through no fee, confidential, customized, professional business counseling and practical, affordable training workshops.
For more information on America’s SBDC Iowa programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org, https://www.facebook.com/AmericasSBDCIowa, or @IowaSBDC on Instagram and Twitter. |
