Bill Reagan, Alexandria SBDC Founder, To Retire In January

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Bill Reagan, the founder and executive director of the Alexandria Small Business Development Center, will retire in 2022.

Reagan will retire on Jan. 31, 2022 after 25 years of championing small businesses in Alexandria through the SBDC. He founded the SBDC in 1996, helping the city boost its reputation for hosting small and independent businesses. The center offers free business counseling and educational programming to those looking to start or grow a business in Alexandria.

"I look back with a sense of pride and accomplishment on the 25 years I’ve been privileged to lead the Alexandria Small Business Development Center," said Reagan in a statement. "I believe this is the ideal juncture for me to step aside, and look forward to finding new ways to support Alexandria’s small business community in my next chapter.”

Reagan has been an Alexandria resident for over 30 years and was named an Alexandria Living Legend for 2020. According to his Alexandria Living Legend profile, he has gone beyond the scope of SBDC activities, including being part of the National Harbor Task Force to help attract visitors to Alexandria with the opening of the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center. He also started Business/Council Exchanges to connect small business leaders and City Council members, worked with business education teachers, and helped Virginia Tech master's degree students work with small businesses on projects.

At the Alexandria SBDC, Reagan works with two other full-time staff members and several independent business consultants. Reagan estimated the SBDC has provided over 30,000 consulting hours to businesses and helped businesses get over $96 million in loans.

The SBDC is part of the Virginia SBDC network and overseen by the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership. As Reagan's retirement approaches, the AEDP is working with the city on identifying existing small business supports and identifying additional resources for businesses.

"We are so grateful for Bill's advocacy of and service to Alexandria small businesses and will miss his energy and enthusiasm as part of our larger economic development team," stated Stephanie Landrum, President and CEO of the AEDP. "We look forward to celebrating Bill and his accomplishments and will continue to evolve and expand our support for small business growth in the City, honoring the foundation constructed by Bill and the SBDC team."

Reagan expects to remain "actively engaged" around Alexandria in retirement. Celebrations honoring him and the SBDC's 25th anniversary will be announced at a later time.