VGCC announces Small Business Summit and Expo; Entrepreneur to Keynote

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is planning a Small Business Summit and Expo, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce . The event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, from 11:30 a.m. until 4:45 p.m., in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

 

Business representatives and interested members of the community are invited to attend.

 

The summit, with the theme, “Fueling Small Business Growth,” will feature guest speakers and interactive discussions, as well as an expo at which businesses and agencies will exhibit their products and services. The expo component of the event helps entrepreneurs and other visitors to find out about useful business resources and contacts.

 

Kicking off the summit will be a keynote address by Rick Burtner (pictured above), president and CEO of Propel GPS, which is based in Henderson and in Reston, Va. Burtner, a graduate of Duke University, has 35 years of broad and diverse industry experience as an executive, leader and board member. He started Propel GPS in 2012 and previously worked as a top executive at other technology-related companies, including SkyBitz, Inc. and BlueStar Communications Group. Burtner has also led his own professional services company, consulting with emerging businesses, and held corporate CFO positions with domestic and international manufacturing, service, distribution and environmental companies. He has taught Entrepreneurship as a guest lecturer for the Duke University Graduate School of Engineering. Burtner’s discussion is entitled “Entrepreneurship in our Current Decade: Allowing Companies to Start and Flourish in Rural, Suburban and Urban Areas Alike.”

 

After the keynote address and lunch, summit attendees can choose from among several breakout sessions, on topics such as taxes, social media, grants, insurance and marketing.

 

Tickets for the Small Business Summit & Expo are $10, which will include a box dinner and the opportunity to win numerous door prizes.

 

For more information, call VGCC Small Business Center Director Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or e-mail her at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu .