SPOKANE, Wash.—Ursula Sanson, a certified business advisor with the Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC), has been named the network’s 2025 State Star. Being named State Star is the highest honor awarded to an SBDC employee and is celebrated annually at the America’s SBDC national conference in September.
“The SBDC State Star is a peer-selected award that recognizes not just extraordinary assistance to small business owners, but also contributions to our organizational culture,” said Sheryl McGrath, state director of the Washington SBDC. “Ursula’s professionalism, positive energy, and deep understanding of the foundations of successful entrepreneurship elevate our entire network.”
The State Star award was announced at the Washington SBDC spring conference in mid-April in Spokane. The Washington SBDC is hosted by Washington State University and funded through a cooperative agreement between WSU and the U.S. Small Business Administration, which provides about 50 percent of SBDC funding.
Sanson is one of nearly 50 business advisors working in communities across the state to provide one-to-one, confidential, no-cost advising on diverse challenges, from managing cash flow or applying for a loan to setting up business systems and understanding financial spreadsheets.
In 2024, Sanson provided one-to-one assistance to more than 128 business owners. She also helped 11 entrepreneurs start a new business.
Aaron Jordan, co-owner of Roast House Coffee in Spokane with his wife, Allison, has been meeting with Sanson since early 2024.
“Before we started working with SBDC, we were stuck in the day-to-day without much future planning,” Jordan said. “But because of Ursula’s help and the SBDC resources, we have plans in motion through the next two years, which is an incredible accomplishment and wouldn’t have been possible without SBDC’s help.”
Sanson said she enjoys being an SBDC advisor because she appreciates the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s businesses and lives.
“I love hearing their story—what motivates them and what challenges they are facing,” she said. A native of Nicaragua, Sanson has had her life upended several times because of natural disasters or political unrest, and so she knows the challenges of starting over or starting new.
“‘Never give up’ is my forever inspirational quote,” she said. While giving up is not an option, neither is ignoring the facts. Sanson, having persevered through challenges in her own life, is able to approach each new client’s business with empathy and a focus on problem-solving.
“It’s rewarding to help entrepreneurs start and grow their business with confidence,” she said. “At the SBDC we provide business management education and tools to help entrepreneurs run their business independently and with the knowledge to make informed decisions.”
Sanson said essential qualities for any successful business owner are resilience, adaptability, and the willingness to learn and grow. Financial literacy is essential as well, and that’s just one of the areas where SBDC advising can make a difference.
Sanson, who worked on international projects for Citibank in Nicaragua for more than a dozen years, said that experience taught her the importance of having strong processes and systems, and the importance of interpersonal relationships.
After leaving Citibank, she was named CEO of a coffee business with 21 stores and 200 employees. “The coffee shop helped me learn to plan for the future,” she said. “Business owners are often consumed by day-to-day operations by working IN the business, but what they need is to work ON the business, because if they aren’t finding time to plan ahead, they risk falling behind competitors.”
After relocating to Spokane in 2019, Sanson worked as a volunteer business advisor with SCORE and then joined the Washington SBDC in 2022. She helps clients in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
