The Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin provided more than 1,800 hours of free consulting for 272 clients with more than $9 million in capital investments, according to its annual report released today.

“Every year, people come to us for help with vital management functions,” SBDC Program Director Neil Lerner said in a statement. “We provide education guidance, referrals and advice to help people build the skills they need to start, manage and grow a business.”

A client cited in the report is Tony Trapp Remodeling, which has tripled business since 2009. In 2014, SBDC clients created 102 jobs.

The SBDC at UW is part of an accredited Wisconsin network of 12 centers located at four-year UW campuses. Wisconsin SBDCs are funded and managed in collaboration with UW-Extension and are part of a national network of nearly 1,000 centers.

Note: The editor-in-chief of Madison Startups is a client of and speaker for the SBDC.