Media Advisory
Center
for Economic Options
Contact: Marilyn Harrell; Day Phone:
345-1298 ext. 14 or Night Phone: 344-2794
e-mail: mharrelloptns@citynet.net
Starting
Thursday, Marilyn or Kasey Russell can be reached at
The
Center for Economic Options is hosting Money
in the Mountains – Sustainable Options for Microbusinesses an international
conference on microbusiness development November 2-4, at Jackson’s Mill (near
Weston), West Virginia.
Money
in the Mountains features two tracks, one for microbusiness owners and one for
economic developers and community leaders. “Microbusiness owners will be able
to explore how to strengthen their businesses and produce for new and lucrative
markets while economic developers and community leaders will
be able to find new ways to support microbusinesses at the local level,” Pam
Curry, Executive Director of the Center for Economic Options, stated.
Presenters include local, regional, and national speakers along with presenters
from
Senator
Rockefeller, who is invited to the International conference, stated “The
state’s microbusinesses are playing a crucial role in
Conference
participants will:
- Learn how their forest
and farm-based businesses can find new markets and make more money.
- Be a part of the
largest International conference on microbusiness in
- Find people to do
business with from around the world.
The
best time to visit the conference will be on Friday from
People
can register for the conference on site.
Summary
agenda is attached.
# # # # #
MICROBUSINESS
OWNER TRACK SESSION DESCRIPTIONS (all day Fri/Sat am)
Starting your business (suggested for businesses operating for less than two years)
-- What should you know? What should you do first? Whether you are starting a
business, or getting into a new market, this session will cover business
basics.
Keeping your business on track -- Starting a business is one thing . . . sustaining it is
another! More mature businesses have special needs. Find out what you can do to
keep your business fresh, and plan the next steps for your business success.
Financing options -- Determined to go into businesses without going into debt?
Want to feel confident approaching lenders if you do need a loan? Financing myths debunked, and financing
opportunities explored. Kelly Tenney, of Mountain CAP
will lead the session.
Shoebox accounting -- Even a shoebox is better than nothing when it comes to
accounting, but there are other easy ways to keep up with your business
accounting needs (and you don’t have
to have a computer!). Find out what they are, and find out what you have
to do to keep out of trouble. Experts
from Toothman and Rice will lead the session.
Legal nuts and bolts of
microbusiness ownership -- What about
legal liability? How do I incorporate?
Do I need to incorporate? What about
all those taxes? Gain knowledge and understand the legalities of business
ownership. Lawyer and WV Delegate Oscar Hines will lead the session.
Insuring your business and yourself
for the future -- What types of
insurance do you need? How about insurance for your business? Don’t forget the
future! Retirement planning can help ensure a smooth transition out of business
ownership. Larry Richards of Merrill Lynch, Jack Grimm of RMI Insurance, and
business owner Charlotte Chandler will lead the session
Wild and wonderful plants in
High value for hand made -- Representatives from the Philadelphia Furniture Show
will be on hand to answer your questions about how you can access a
multimillion-dollar market. Categories include furniture; kitchen and dining
ware; floor and wall coverings; home accessories, and textiles. Josh Markel of the Philadelphia Furniture Show will led this
effort.
Timber gardening -- Take a walk in the woods and gain a fresh perspective on
how your woodlands can yield a profit for you year after year. Russ Richardson,
consulting forester and Jason Rutedge of Healing
Harvest Forest Foundation will lead this session.
CSA - Grow for it! -- Community Supported Agriculture may be just what you’re
looking for. Learn the “ins and outs” of growing for prepaid customers. Kate
Francis of PASA will lead this session.
Wooden’t it make “cents” to cooperate? -- Access bigger and better markets through cooperation -- Timber
Green Forestry did! Learn how you can, too. Jim Birkemeier,
of Smart Wood Certified Green Timber will lead the session.
Cooking up hot markets -- Taste the success you can have by marketing your
specialty food. Find out what you need to meet commercial kitchen standards so
the world can enjoy your secret recipes, and you can enjoy the profit! Leslie
Schaller of ACENet and Cnidy
Martel of the WV Department of Agriculture will lead this session.
The art and craft of marketing
your arts and crafts -- You know
how to make it, learn how to market it! Session explores upcoming regional and
national shows where you can get top-dollar for your work. Susan Inglis, marketing specialist and product broker from
The flower business-making money
cut and dried -- The flower
business is blooming! Come discover the latest trends in flower design, learn
to grow what’s selling fast, and cultivate your business to attract high-end
markets. Ralph Cramer of Cramer’s Flowers in
Medicinal herbs and mushrooms --
you can bank on them! -- The booming
alternative health products market is clamoring for high-quality products. Take
advantage of this opportunity to sell! sell! sell! Dave Cook of WVU Extension Service and Mark English
will lead this session.
Direct Marketing _ Learn the “ins and outs” of target marketing, how to find
your market, where to purchase mailing lists, etc. Entrepreneur and direct marketing specialist,
Ty Gardner will lead this session.
E-commerce --
E-commerce is more than just having a Website and E-mail! Find out how you can
make the most of today’s technology to boost your sales. Representatives from
the
Economic
Developers and Community Leaders Track Session Descriptions
Economic
Development Opportunities Panel (
Microbusiness is an important piece of
Microbusiness
in
.
Microenterprise
as an Economic Development Strategy (
This session will build on the first two sessions to
present successful rural economic development approaches based around
entrepreneurship and microbusiness development. Kent Spellman, Anthony Flaccavento with Appalachian
Sustainable Development, and Jo Ann Ackerboom or
Supporting
Craft and Artisan Efforts (
Developing
Support Mechanisms for Local Entrepreneurs (
Both of these sessions will focus on specific activities communities
can undertake to support and advance microbusiness initiatives. Topics may
include: craft co-ops, artisan centers, community commercial kitchen,
microbusiness incubators, etc. Speakers will include Paul Schreffler
of the