ATHENS — A report produced by the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center shows that a faster pace of economic growth in 2015 will benefit small businesses across the state.

There are about 960,000 small businesses in Georgia, employing 1.5 million people, according to the SBDC, which is a unit of the UGA Office of Public Service and Outreach. Georgia’s small businesses generated $40 billion in sales in 2013.