OMEN 2011 Oregon Summit on Entrepreneurship October 12th and 13th
Register Today!
Oregon Microenterprise Network (OMEN) is excited to host the 13th annual Oregon Summit on Entrepreneurship, October 12-13, 2011, at the Governor Hotel in Portland, Oregon. The Summit will provide training from industry leaders, and opportunities for networking and exploring strategies for future development and partnership for Oregon’s most innovative microenterprise and entrepreneurship organizations.
Day One: Microenterprise Boot Camp
You will get answers to questions such as:
- What is the key to success for a microenterprise program?
- What’s the best approach to assess entrepreneurial and personal readiness to start a business?
- How do we know if our entrepreneurial training program is effective?
- How do I structure technical assistance to meet the diverse needs of my clients?
- What are lessons learned from the recession in delivering microcredit?
- What are the trends and new products?
- How do we measure success?
- What are the opportunities for scaling up my program?
- What’s our role in the green business movement?
The training will be led by Jason Friedman of Friedman Associates. A former practitioner at the state and local level and Director of Training and Education for AEO, Jason has nearly twenty-five years of experience in microenterprise development and community development finance. Friedman Associates is a consulting firm that helps build the capacity of nonprofit organizations that help low-wealth individuals and communities create jobs and small businesses.
Day Two: Speakers, Panels, & Sessions
Break-Out Session Topics:
- The A, B, Si’s of Expanding Opportunities for Latino Entrepreneurs – presented by Forrest Peck with MicroEnterprise Resources Initiatives & Training (MERIT)
- What If? A Workshop for Creating New Opportunity – presented by Chas Martin with InnovativEye
- Evaluating to Learn: Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can – presented by Kathi Jowarski of Write to Know
- Oregon Resources for Food Entrepreneurs – presented by Jim Seufert with Dayton Good Food Center
- It Takes a Village to Raise a Business – presented by Allison McKenzie with GROW Santiam
- Redefining the Triple Bottom Line: Addressing the topic of sustainability with low-income and/or minority entrepreneurs - presented by Ali Brown with Adelante Mujeres
Panel Discussion: Meet the Funders: Accessing Resources to Support Your Work
Hear from local, statewide and federal funders engaged in supporting Oregon’s entrepreneurs! Enjoy an interactive session and bring your questions regarding how to access the various funding streams represented by the panelists. The panel will share their experiences in funding successful microenterprise and entrepreneurship projects throughout Oregon. Presenters include:
- John Saris, Business Services Manager, Oregon Business Development Department (OBDD)
- Larry Trujillo, Director of Lender Relations, Small Business Administration, Portland District Office
- Lynn Knox, Senior Program Manager, Portland Development Commission Economic Opportunity Initiative
Key Note Speaker:
Kim Pate, Vice President for External Relations at CFED, will present on policy, research and innovations in the microenterprise field. She will provide an overview of the federal policy landscape and detail the key federal policy priorities for 2011 and 2012 leading up to the Presidential election. Ms. Pate will then reveal the newly published Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, CFED’s signature research and policy product that ranks the states on how well they support asset-building, with a focus on the implications for Oregon and its neighboring states. Finally, Ms. Pate will share the innovative Self-Employment Tax Initiative (SETI) and the work of three different models in California, Washington and Brooklyn.