The workshop, co-sponsored by the Golden Triangle Economic Development Council of South Arkansas and SAU, provides a forum for south Arkansas constituents to meet and discuss with our legislative delegation important issues impacting our region during the upcoming legislative session. Senator Percy Malone and Representative Bruce Maloch will serve as moderators of the workshop which costs nothing to attend. Lunch will also be provided for all participants.

Deborah Lewis, coordinator of the GTEDC, which includes Camden, El Dorado, Magnolia, Hampton and Smackover, said issues such as local government, highways, education and Arkansas economic development will be discussed. She said it is a great opportunity to share perspectives with government and professional leaders from Arkansas who are in positions to make a difference.

To register call Deborah Lewis at (870) 235-4924 or email her at gtedc@saumag.edu. The agenda for Monday’s workshop is available at www.gtedc.org.

The new name will be announced in Magnolia at a 2 p.m. news conference, Thursday, October 30 in the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center on the Southern Arkansas University campus. The conference will be hosted by the Arkansas Small Business Development Center at Southern Arkansas University. SAU Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Brian Canfield, College of Business Dean Dr. Lisa Toms and a Representative from U.S. Congressman Mike Ross’ Office will join Center Director Paul Considine and other ASBDC officials in making the announcement.

“Changing our name illustrates an extension of our mission to serve Arkansas’ entrepreneurial community,” said Janet Roderick, Arkansas Small Business Development Center state director. “We began a decade ago to develop services for innovation and technology-based businesses when it became apparent that a key to economic growth in Arkansas would be our own innovation. Arkansas must be on the leading edge of technology to compete with other states and internationally in this economy.”

The center earned special technology accreditation from the national Association of Small Business Development Centers late last year. Of 63 SBDC’s across the country, Arkansas was just the fifth to receive the technology designation. ASBDC had to demonstrate the ability to assist clients in areas such as technology transfer, commercialization, research and development funding, intellectual property and equity financing.

Arkansas Small Business Development Center assists innovation-based businesses through its network of offices across the state. Established in 1980, the program is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business.
In addition to the lead center at UALR and office at SAU, other regional offices are located at Arkansas State University, Henderson State University, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology in McGehee. All services, which include consulting, research and training, are available at low or no cost through the center’s partnership with the SBA and higher education institutions across Arkansas.

About the SBDC Network
Uniting private enterprise, government, higher education and local non-profit economic development organizations, the Small Business Development Center national network is the SBA’s largest partnership program, providing management and technical assistance to help Americans start, run and grow their own businesses. With approximately 1,000 offices across the nation, the SBDC network assists approximately 725,000 small businesses every year.

For more information, call Felicia Bozeman, fabozeman@saumag.edu, (870)235-4007 or Gwen Green, gagreen@ualr.edu, (501)683-7700.

This was the first year that SAKE Fx was held and both El Dorado High School and Junction City High School attended. The competition is an important effort to teach high school students business ethics, and it consisted of seminars about the global economy, current events and the opportunity to create an anti-piracy public service announcement. In the end, El Dorado High School received the Sweepstakes Award which consisted of a trophy and a $1000 scholarship to SAU to be given to the student(s) of their choice.

Also during the event, dean of the College of Business, Dr. Lisa Toms, gave a recruitment speech reminding the crowd of 11th and 12th graders of the value of receiving a college education.

The event was sponsored by the Murphy Foundation, SIFE-PBL and the SAU College of Business.

The seminar is designed to prepare participants for the intensive business planning process. It identifies and explains the major steps crucial to starting a business in Arkansas. The seminar will discuss start-up requirements, hidden dangers, and key issues that affect business success.

Seminars sponsored by the SAU Small Business Development Center will be held at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope and at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.

The cost of the seminar is $25.

The ASBDC, a partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is the state’s premier business assistance program and helps small businesses develop, expand, and maintain competitiveness in a changing economy

Through its statewide network of seven offices, the ASBDC provides free consulting and research services as well as low- to no-cost training to the business community.

The lead center in Little Rock, located on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development, boasts a comprehensive research center that provides timely, relevant, and detailed information business people need to make critical decisions.

Throughout the state, confidential business consulting is available one-to-one and at no charge. Consulting services emphasize empowering the client to make educated decisions and find practical solutions in the best interests of their businesses.

The ASBDC statewide training programs focus on providing current and practical information on a broad range of business topics, including writing business plans, using popular accounting software, understanding financial statements, managing cash flow, government contracting, obtaining financing, and using computers and the Internet. Training is also available online so that participants may take business courses at their convenience.

For more information about Arkansas Entrepreneur Day, call the Small Business Development Center at SAU at 870-235-4007.

Bryan Gallinger, of Seattle, Wash., will speak on topics such as business development, free enterprise, private franchising, and e-commerce. Gallinger will be assisted by Jonathan Oswalt, a Seattle business associate and son of Dr. Beverly Oswalt, associate professor of management information systems and the LeMay Professor of Technology at SAU.

The Small Business Development Center at SAU will sponsor a meeting at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, in room 208 of the Business/Agri. Business Building on the SAU campus. Gallinger will discuss how easy and inexpensive it is to start an Internet business. He will provide a first look at the unique affiliate marketing opportunity offered through independent business ownership with Quixtar Corporation and its affiliate, World Wide Group, Inc.

Gallinger is founder of Grassroots Network, the parent company of more than 10 other companies, all privately held, personally developed, and debt free. He has specifically built each of his companies with the goal of using them as tools to assist others in attaining their goals and dreams.

Since his financial retirement two years ago, Gallinger has dedicated his life to serving and assisting others in developing business models, companies, entertainers, and a wide variety of other projects. He is well known for public speaking, media production, business development, and mentoring.

The seminar will be held in room 101 of the Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas in Ashdown. Co-sponsors include CCCUA/SBAE and the Little River Chamber of Commerce.

In this seminar participants will learn what it takes for employees to work as a team to deliver service that will keep customers coming back again and again.

The cost of the seminar is $25.

For more information or to register, call 870-235-4007.

The purpose of the Entrepreneur Showcase Luncheon was to recognize successful small businesses in southwest Arkansas.

The honorees were Wendy Hall, owner of Morgan Florist in El Dorado, and Kenneth Weaver, owner of KDCO, Inc. of Magnolia. Linda Nelson, district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration, presented the awards.

The mission of the SAU SBDC is to provide high quality business assistance to start-up and existing firms to create a positive economic impact in the service area. The SAU SBDC offers services to the southwestern counties in Arkansas including Calhoun, Columbia, Hempstead, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, and Union.

The SAU SBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration through a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the College of Business at SAU.

For more information call 870-235-4007.

This three-hour seminar will provide participants with the background information and basic planning tools to increase the survivability of a business. They will also learn about local hazards, how to prepare for future disasters, and what assistance will be available following a major disaster.

Timothy Lee will be the guest speaker. Lee serves as trainer and webmaster for the Arkansas Small Business Development Center. He has an undergraduate degree in disaster preparedness and more than 14 years of professional experience as a federal-level emergency manager.

He is a member of and represents small business on both the Arkansas Governor’s Earthquake Advisory Council and the Arkansas Pre-Disaster Mitigation Advisory Council. Lee also instructs damage assessment and other disaster-related classes for the local chapter of the American Red Cross and has conducted damage assessments of several major disasters in Arkansas and California.

The seminar is $20. It is free to members of the Chamber of Commerce and SAU students, faculty, and staff.

For more information call 870-235-4007.

The seminar will be held in room 201 of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope Student Center. Co-sponsors include UACCH and Willis Financial Services.

This seminar will deal with the basics of handling the withholding of employment taxes such as federal income, social security, and Medicare. The speaker will discuss the employer identification numbers, information returns, and other employment-related issues.

The cost of the class is $20. It is free to UACCH students, staff, and faculty.

For more information or to register, call 870-235-4007.

The seminar will be held in SAU Business/Agri Business Building room 107. It is co-sponsored by the Golden Triangle Economic Development Council and BancorpSouth.

This seminar prepares participants for the intensive business planning process, identifies major steps crucial to starting a business, discusses the key issues that affect business success, and discusses start-up requirements and common pitfalls entrepreneurs face.

The cost of the class is $20. It is free to SAU students, faculty, and staff and BancorpSouth employees.

For more information or to register, call 870-235-4007.