The SBDC hosted by College of the Canyons

The Small Business Development Center hosted by College of the Canyons serves Northern Los Angeles County including the Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley, and Santa Clarita Valley.


The College of the Canyons SBDC (COC SBDC) helps entrepreneurs, prospective and existing small business owners start new businesses,  manage and grow existing businesses with a positive impact to the economy through job creation, job retention, capital infusion and sales growth. We support business owners with professional business consulting, trainings, and other resources.

We provide no cost business consulting and low cost training services to help grow businesses, and enhance skills for entrepreneurs and business owners. Our COC SBDC team includes professional business consultants with expertise in business planning, business modeling, start-up, access to capital and capital preparation, sales and marketing, social media, finance, accounting, budgeting, operations, management, and strategy. Specialties include international trade, entertainment and arts, the fashion industry, food, specialty foods and restaurants, manufacturing, supply chain management, and government contracting. Consulting services are provided at no cost to our clients due to support from the SBA, COC, grants, and other SBDC sponsors who believe in our contribution to economic development and the impact through local communities.

The COC SBDC is part of the Los Angeles Regional SBDC Network, which assists small business owners throughout the Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

Our team is pleased to offer our consulting services in English, Spanish, Armenian, Greek, German and American Sign Language, as needed.

Please contact us at (661) 362-5900 to schedule your appointment.
Servicios en Español | Llame al: (661) 362-3199

About the COC SBDC Team

Catherine Grooms, MBA

Director

As Director, Catherine manages a team of 21, including 18 professional Business Advisors and directs all services of the SBDC including delivering results, marketing, managing finance and budgets, sponsor and partnership relationship management, developing events and managing grants. She specializes in assisting clients with accounting, business planning, financing, startup, general business, management and operations, sales and marketing, and growth strategy. Catherine has been with the SBDC since 2006, as Business Advisor, Assistant Director, and Director. Prior to joining the SBDC, Catherine gained 21 years of experience in domestic and international business leading and managing teams with an emphasis on financial management and operations, in a range of industries. The industries include manufacturing, construction, entertainment, and a major utility. The companies ranged from privately held to public, employees from 20 up to 1000s, and revenue dollars from a few million up to billions. Her broad experience working with companies both large and small on the East Coast, Midwest and in California in a variety of industries enables Catherine to effectively work with sponsors, partners, and clients to achieve economic impact and strategic goals. Catherine has a BBA in Accounting from Howard University and an MBA (Accounting/Management Concentration) from the University of Baltimore. She is a graduate of the Leadership Development Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Executive Education; and the Leadership Development Program at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Paul Mazbanian, MBA

Assistant Director

An SBDC Business Advisor since 2003, Paul Mazbanian specializes in assisting clients with Business Plans, Business Financing, Business Startup, General Business, Management, and Sales and Marketing.Paul is the owner of Small Business Community (SBC) Lending in Glendale, California. Founded in 2007, SBC Lending focuses on financing small businesses and generated over $10 million in loans funded for fiscal year 2010.As a loan consultant at the Valley Economic Development Center in Van Nuys, Paul funded nearly $10 million in loans for small business clients, focusing on SBA loans.Fluent in Armenian, Paul is active in the business and local community. He is a member of the Armenian International Medical Fund, the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce and the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, as well as several organizations that assist youth. In addition to his work with the SBDC, he has taught various courses as a guest professor at Westwood College.Paul has a B.S. in business administration from the University of California, Riverside, and an MBA from Woodbury University. He is a licensed Notary Public.

COC SBDC Business Advisors

Anngel Benoun

Marketing, Sales, Time Management

Anthony Curtis Elliott B.A., CPA

Finance and Loan Packaging, International Business, Venture Matchmaking

Bandhana Katoch

Business Plans, Legal, Management, Marketing, Sales, Technology

Charles Yacoobian

Export/Import, Financial Management, General Management, Growth Management, Inventory Management

Claudia Shah

Leadership, Management, Social Media, Talent Acquisition

Connie Sparks

Business Training, Professional Development

Erica Bristol

Copyrights, Mediation, Trademarks and Patents

Eugene Zapata

Accounting, Bookkeeping, Business Financing, Business Plans, Management, Quickbooks, Technology

Gerald Anderson

Business Entity Formations, Business Planning, Financial Management, Management, Organizational Development, Starting A Business, Strategy

Helene Liatsos

Quickbooks, Starting A Business

Kevin Farr

Business Development, Financial Forecasting, General Management, Real Estate & Leases

Kevin McVearry

Restaurant Industry

Mark Colonomos

Fashion Industry

Michael Letson

Performance, Supply Chain Development

Ramin Ramhormozi

E-commerce, Marketing, SEO

Sylvia Martini

International Business, Marketing, Sales

Tora Brown

Certifications, Initial Client Meetings

Victor Benoun

Business Plans