Graduation for Latino Entrepreneurs Was Held on Wednesday May 14, 2014 at Genesis Healthcare, Kennett Square, PA
WEST CHESTER, PA, May 16, 2014: Graduates of an eight week program "Business Skills for Latino Entrepreneurs" / "Como ser Exitoso como Empresario Latino" were honored with dinner and graduation ceremony Wednesday, May 14, 2014.at Genesis Health Care, 101 E. State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348. This 8-week program was conducted entirely in Spanish for local Hispanic entrepreneurs and business people. Sponsors included Chester County SCORE, La Comunidad Hispana, National Penn Bank, and Kutztown University's Latino Business Resource Center. Local county and municipal officials were in attendance to honor the graduates..
The Spring session of the eight-week bilingual "Business Skills for Latino Entrepreneurs" program had an excellent response. Some of the students had heard about the program from graduates of the Fall 2013 session, and others learned of it from the flyers that were distributed or presentations that were made to various groups in the community.
Gerald Francis
Chester County SCORE
Co-chairperson
Thirty participants graduated from the Spring 2014 program, held locally in Kennett Square. This tripled the number of graduates from Fall 2013, which was presented remotely from Reading. James Rodriguez from Kutztown University's Latino Business Resource Center (LBRC) led the instruction. He was assisted by: Jose Sanabria, architect and graduate of the Fall 2013 program, Horace Scherer from Chester County SCORE, Miguel Alban, Vice President of Avanti Seguros Insurance Services, and other local Latino professionals.
A wide range of interests were represented by participants, who consisted of both current entrepreneurs and those interested in learning more about the general aspects of running a business. Spring 2014 participants included:
· A Colombian couple who work with residents of Colombia to produce original handicrafts
· A photographer who works with both Latinos and Anglos on wedding, quinceañera, sweet sixteen, baptism and other special occasion photography
· A hospitality and provisions broker who imports fresh fruits for food purveyors on a national basis
· An events coordinator who specializes in organizing events for the Latino community in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Horace Scherer of Chester County SCORE finds the growing response to this course very encouraging. The Fall 2013 class was the first program of this kind in Southern Chester County. The attendance growth for the Spring 2014 program is evidence of the significant need for this type of education. With the combined support of LBRC, SCORE, La Comunidad Hispana and other commercial sponsors a third session is planned to begin this September.
For additional information about this program and/or about future programs designed specifically for the Latino Community living and working in the Chester County/ Kennett Square area, interested business owners can visit the Kutztown University Latino Business Resource website at http://www.kulbrc.org or contact Carolina Martinez, Director of the Latino Business Resource Center at 484-646-4013 or martinez@kutztown.edu. You may also contact Miguel Alban at 267-253-5415.
