Submitted by Emily Upah, Director for Benton Development Group
We missed YOU at our Action Academy Kickoff; but don’t worry, there is still time to participate!
Benton Development Group, Vinton Unlimited and Belle Plaine Community Development hosted a kickoff with the Small Business Development Center to familiarize Benton County small businesses with the Action Academy. This is a series of engaging educational experiences for small businesses to think about their business in a different way than they normally do, while connecting with small businesses resources and building their professional network. When Melissa Schwan of Vinton-Unlimited was asked who the target audience for these sessions was, she state, “Any business with customers or clients is encouraged to attend.”
“This series is about so much more than learning about new business practices,” Upah expressed. “The Action Academy is only a small piece of what we are trying to create here in Benton County. We are hoping to help create an environment that is really supportive for small businesses to get, keep and grow. We are also trying to develop our entrepreneurial ecosystem for future Benton County entrepreneurs and business owners to ensure they have community mentors and support.” Upah goes on to say, “The SBDC really put together a strong roster of speakers for this series. We have speakers who are serial entrepreneurs, social media experts, marketing gurus, culture curators, etc.”
If you were unable to participate in the kickoff event, we strongly encourage you to attend our first session. This session will be on March 10th from 7:30am-8:30am at the Vinton Kirkwood Center. Please RSVP to Emily Upah at the BDG office via email at emily@bdgia.com or via phone at (319) 472-5545 to ensure we communicate any information you may have missed.