Business development event set
The 2023 South Arkansas Rural Business Development Conference will be held Sept. 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. via Zoom and in person at the Pine Bluff Library, 600 S. Main St. The in-person event is limited to 50 people. The conference is funded by the USDA Rural Development, and Arkansas Human Development Corp. A rountable breakfast will also be held at 8:30 a.m. The event is free.
The roundtable will be facilitated by Christian Pennington, lender relations specialist of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Rev. Cory Anderson, chief innovation officer, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, will be the luncheon speaker.
Topics will include building effective partnerships, securing capital, selling goods and services to the government, social media and how to access the services offered by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center and grow one’s business, according to a news release.
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 the event.
The theme is “Breaking Barriers: Engaging Minds, Empowering Success.” The event will bring together approximately 20 organizations to provide conference participants with needed resources to grow their existing business or develop new business endeavors.
Invited partners include Arkansas Capital Corp., Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, ASBTDC, Arkansas APEX Accelerator, Small Business Administration, Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Participants are invited to attend the “Breakfast with the Lenders Roundtable” at 8:30 a.m. to network with lenders including FORGE, Relyance Bank, Simmons Bank, USDA Rural Development-Business and Cooperative Programs.
The conference is free but registration is requested by calling Arkansas Human Development Corp. at (800) 482-7641, emailing dharrison@arhdc.org or online at https://t.ly/kaiVM.