FREE Small Business Conference THIS FRIDAY 9/4

Quick links:

Conference Flyer

Conference Agenda
Online Registration (Free, but Encouraged)

The Arkansas Human Development Corporation, with assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, has partnered with public and private organizations to hold a regional conference designed to support and grow small businesses in Northeast Arkansas. This event will bring together approximately twenty private sector, state, federal and nonprofit organizations with a singular mission of equipping small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills and resources to start and expand their businesses. This forum is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and hosted by the Arkansas Human Development Corporation, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Arkansas Northeastern College, Mississippi County Economic Opportunity Commission and the Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC).

The conference will be held Friday, September 4, 2015 from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm at the Holiday Inn - Blytheville, 1121 Main Street, Blytheville, AR 72315. Topics will include but are not limited to, building effective partnerships, securing capital, how to sell goods and services to the government, social media, and disaster relief for small businesses.

Join us at 8:30 am for a Continental Breakfast featuring a “Lenders Roundtable,” where participants will network with local, regional and statewide lenders. Organizations invited to participate include Arkansas Capital Corporation Group, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center, Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, Communities Unlimited, Farmers Bank and Trust, LiftFund, Southern Bancorp, USDA – Rural Development, Eastern Arkansas Planning and Development District…and MORE! Lunch will also be provided.

Aspiring and current business owners, youth entrepreneurs, veterans and community and economic development professionals, are invited to attend this unique opportunity. You will interact with lenders, and following the breakfast, 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. Luncheon guest speaker is Ms. Carolyn Parker, Director, Office of Outreach and Advocacy and former Director of Business & Industry Programs USDA – Rural Development, Washington, DC.

Do not miss the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge and tips that will help your small business GROW! Let’s all come together to BUILD ARKANSAS!

ALL ASPECTS OF THE CONFERENCE ARE FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED.

You may register by calling (800) 482-7641 Arkansas Human Development Corporation

or online at https://goo.gl/CVG0Gz

Press release submitted by

Arkansas Human Development Corporation

Clevon Young

cyoung@arhdc.org

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Delta Bridge Project to Host Poverty Simulation

The Mississippi County Delta Bridge project is excited to present Living on the Edge: Taking a Look at Poverty, a free poverty simulation designed to teach how to help those living in poverty by truly understanding their difficulties. The event will take place Wednesday, September 9, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the ANC Governors Ballroom located in Statehouse Hall on the main campus in Blytheville, AR.

During this interactive learning process, participants will be given roles within family units to perform day-to-day tasks, such as sending children to school, going to or finding work, paying bills, accessing community resources, buying groceries, interacting with financial institutions, and more. At the end of the training, a debriefing session will link participants' experiences to the realities of Mississippi County citizens living in poverty.

Following the workshop portion, a community panel discussion titled “Where Do We Go From Here?” will feature a host of Mississippi County citizens and community leaders and experts from around the state and the nation to begin the conversation on how Mississippi County can engage in collective impact strategies to assist under-resourced citizens to make the journey from poverty to prosperity


For more information, call 870-838-2920. For full details or to register online, visit http://bit.ly/1Q3zf6o

Quick Links:
Facebook event page
Full info & online registration

This community engagement workshop is hosted in partnership with Arkansas Northeastern College, Arkansas Department of Higher Education, Mississippi County Arkansas E.O.C., and Great River Economic Development Foundation and a host of community sponsors.

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