Alhussain succeeds Ruth Swain, who was filling the director position in the interim and will now return to her role as part-time SBDC adviser.

In this role, Alhussain will provide leadership for the planning, managing and execution of delivery programs related to the SBDC, as well as innovation and strategic partnerships. This will include facilitating economic development by assisting small business owners while serving as an innovation liaison between MHCC, the business community, community partners, state and regional SBDC offices and federal agencies.

“My hope is that the MHCC SBDC will be the place of choice and No. 1 destination for business startups, growth, establishment, economic development and success,” Alhussain said. “I want us to be a major player in the growth and success of the entrepreneurial ecosystem within the region following the MHCC values of education, community, integrity and inclusion.”

Alhussain comes to MHCC most recently from the North Iowa Area Community College Pappajohn Center and North Iowa Area SBDC. There he served as the director of innovation and acceleration and was responsible for providing business consulting and accelerator services to start-up companies and existing businesses in all phases that needed funding, management and operational expertise to improve their chances of success.

Prior to that, he held positions at the Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Center serving as mentor, coach and advocate to early stage startups and was responsible for creating and commercializing over 70 startups and small medium enterprises for Aramco.

Alhussain earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration as well as his MBA from Valparaiso University, where he also served in the Office of International Programs and increased the number of international students enrolled from 200 to 800 over four years.

A self-described “passionate and enthusiastic professional,” Alhussain also says he is a family man to his wife and three children.

About MHCC’s Small Business Development Center:
The MHCC SBDC supports entrepreneurs in creating, growing and running a successful business through one-on-one advising and training workshops. Oregon’s SBDCs deliver services to anyone who owns or operates a business or is planning to start a business. They work with businesses in every industry and at every stage of growth from start-ups to well-established companies, from one employee to 500. In addition to no-cost confidential advising, the SBDC offers training an online courses that cover a wide range of business topics.

The Oregon Small Business Development Network was launched in 1983 and is part of a national network of SBDCs. The Oregon Network is a well-established partnership between 17 Oregon community colleges, two state universities, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Oregon Business Development Department.