Lights Out in San Diego

Attending the 2011 ASBDC National Conference in San Diego has been one of the highlights of my year. The conference exceeded my expectations for learning about what new and exciting opportunities the SBDC programs have to offer. My first stop was a full day workshop on how the SBDC service centers accreditation process works and the high standards ASBDC sets for all SBDC offices across the nation. This workshop gave me a complete view of all the hard work that goes into the administration of a SBDC and a new found appreciation for all the trainings, events and consulting each SBDC accomplishes.

The best highlight of the conference occurred while I was attending a full day workshop on Intellectual Property and how the various laws help protect small businesses with their innovations and ideas. The workshop provided in-depth coverage on topics such as trademarks, branding, trade secrets, patents....and then the lights went out! I'm not suggesting that trademarks and patents weren't exciting, as anyone knows how much fun a good patent can be; San Diego experienced a power outage that extended into Mexico and Arizona! There we were, the entire conference and I in a hotel with no power and no expectation of getting power restored in the foreseeable future. With not much to do or light to do it in, I made the most of it-I purchased a dinner sandwich from the deli that I called "dinner" and spent most of the evening swapping stories about the conference with my colleagues. I gained so much insight from just talking with my colleagues from across the country on the successes and challenges they face on a daily basis-who knew it would take a regional power outage to bring out such GREAT ideas! 

 

Business and Industry Assistance Program Highlighted at the 2011 ASBDC Conference

The team behind the Center for Economic Development's (CED) Business and Industry Assistance Program (BIAP) got the opportunity to give a workshop on market research tools at this year's Association of Small Business Development Centers' (ASBDC) annual conference. SBDC consultants, directors, and partners from all over the country met in San Diego to participate in a number of workshops and accreditation sessions designed to improve the services the SBDC's provide to small businesses.

A county-wide power outage almost prevented the BIAP presentation from taking place, but luckily San Diego Gas and Electric was able to get power back to the hotel in the early hours of the morning on the day of the presentation.

NECSBDC Lead Center Director Dan Ripke made it clear that information is imperative for existing and potential small businesses that are either seeking financial assistance or creating and implementing a marketing plan. Michael Suplita and Marcy McCormick then outlined the tools CED uses to provide such information. The audience members were all very active participants during the workshop, asking lots of questions and even sharing their own experiences with various market research resources.

Sandy Linville, Event Coordinator, and Josh Brown, IT Specialist, were also able to attend the conference, which offered workshops ranging from Advanced Marketing to Search Engine Optimization to Strategic Planning. CED is very excited to begin implementing some of the knowledge we brought home from San Diego!

For more information about the CED's BIAP program or to learn how to get assistance for your small business please contact Michael Suplita at msuplita@csuchico.edu or call (530)898-3855.