TigerTek, Inc. announced its selection as 2008 N.C. Small Business of the Year by Business North Carolina magazine. TigerTek provides industrial repair services to manufacturing plants throughout the USA and across the globe. TigerTek specializes in repairing electric motors, servo-motors, gearboxes, pumps, hydraulics and electronic controls. TigerTek also has a machine shop for fabricating custom precision parts. Having bought the business ten years ago, owner Peter Mitchell has made strategic decisions that have kept the company running, and growing. “When I bought the business, it was almost entirely focused on the textile industry. We recognized the off-shoring of textile plants early enough that we were able to broaden our customer base and realize steady growth,” said Peter Mitchell, owner of TigerTek. TigerTek is located in Stoneville, N.C. and employs 44.

In additional news, TigerTek, through its relationship with the Rockingham County Business & Technology Center (RCBTC), will partner with MBA students from the Joseph M. Bryan School of Businessto help it continue its growth. “Our MBA students provide high quality consulting services to companies across North Carolina. Working under close faculty supervision, students obtain real world experience prior to graduating, and the clients benefit from plans that are ready for implementation,” said Dr. Sheldon Balbirer, associate professor in the Bryan School of Business and Economics.

This will be the second year that the Bryan School’s MBA Program has partnered with the RCBTC to find prospects for its capstone consulting course. Since opening in 2005, the RCBTC has offered free business counseling services to current and aspiring entrepreneurs. Its business counseling program expanded in 2006 when it created a Rockingham County branch of SCORE®, which now touts nine volunteer business mentors. “We have a great handle on providing superior business counseling to start-up businesses, and we now are focused on expanding our capabilities to assist the small but growing businesses,” said RCBTC Executive Director, Mark Wells. “The Bryan School’s MBA Program has been a great partner in this effort, and we hope to continue growing this relationship in the future,” added Wells.

About TigerTek, Inc.:
TigerTek Industrial Services specializes in electro-mechanical repairs and sales. They keep plants running by repairing electric motors, servo-motors, gearboxes, pumps, hydraulic equipment and electronic controls. Their machine shop also offers custom fabrication, upgrades and modifications. They offer FREE pickup and repair quotes. For more information, visit www.tigertek.com or call (336) 623-1717.

About UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics:
The Bryan School is the largest of UNC-Greensboro’s six professional schools with 450 graduate students and 2,200 undergraduates. It is accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and is among the top 10 percent of business schools nationwide that have earned accreditation at the undergraduate and graduate levels in both business and accounting. For more information, contact the Bryan School of Business and Economics at (336) 334-5338 or bryanschool.uncg.edu.

About the Rockingham County Business & Technology Center:
The RCBTC is an e-NC Authority Business and Technology Telecenter designed to create an entrepreneur-friendly, technology-enabled environment in Rockingham County. The RCBTC helps entrepreneurs learn how to plan, start and grow businesses, while making sure they understand how to use technology to be competitive in today's global marketplace. For more information call (336) 342-7853 or visit www.rcbtc.org.

-December, 2008