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Providing small and emerging business owners with the skills, tools and contacts needed to create and grow their enterprises and better engage in job creation activities are the goals of an upcoming business conference to be held via Zoom, with a small on-site audience in Fordyce and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Jointly funded by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC), USDA/RD, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Arkansas Human Development Corporation (AHDC), the 2022 South Arkansas Small Business Development Conference, with a theme of “Win Where You Stand: Innovative Approaches To Secure Economic Growth for Sustainable Rural Communities” will bring together approximately 20 private, quasi-state, state, federal, non-profit, and international organizations with a singular focus of equipping existing and aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources to start and grow their businesses.
Hosted by the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS), AHDC, ASBTDC, Arkansas Procurement and Technical Assistance Center (APTAC), and USDA, Rural Development, the conference will be held Thursday, September 1, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. via Zoom. Up to 40 participants, including some presenters, and preferably those who’ve received one of the Covid-19 vaccines, will be able to participate from a physical location in the Fordyce Civic Center, located at 300 Hwy. 79/167 Bypass, Fordyce, AR 71742 or in the Pine Bluff (Main) Library, located at 600 S. Main St., Pine Bluff, AR 71601. Social distancing, temperature checks, masks, and release forms will be required. Topics will include building strategic relationships, exploring and securing the right kind of capital, how to sell goods and services to the government, the basics of personal finance, and how to use the many services of the ASBTDC to begin and enhance your business.
Join us at 8:30 a.m. for a “Breakfast with the Lenders Roundtable,” where conference participants will network with local, regional and statewide lenders. Some invited and confirmed Lenders include: Arkansas Capital Corporation Group; Communities Unlimited; Fordyce Bank and Mortgage; FORGE; Relyance Bank; RMI; Inc.; Simmons Bank; Stone Bank; and, USDA, RD B&I. The Lenders Roundtable will be facilitated by Mr. Herb Lawrence, Lender Relations Specialist, Arkansas District Office, U.S. Small Business Administration.
Current business owners and those just getting started, youth entrepreneurs, business and technical school students, apprentices, veterans, faith-based leaders, and community and economic development professionals, are invited to attend. You will engage with other business owners, receive help with research and business planning, learn how to increase your networking results, and learn to do more business with government and private industry. Mr. Bill Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer for Premier Funeral Home in Little Rock and Chicken King Restaurants in Central Arkansas and a serial entrepreneur will deliver the luncheon address.
Don’t miss this opportunity to help your community create needed JOBS by acquiring the resources to help your small business GROW! AND, INNOVATE!
AN INVESTMENT OF TIME IS THE COST TO ATTEND BUT REGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED.
You may register by calling Arkansas Human Development Corporation toll free at (800) 482-7641 or (501) 374-1103, ext. 10 or online at https://bit.ly/3zG1ne3 (case sensitive).
