Small business conference

Make time now to improve your community’s future by joining us in Odessa on April 17 for an economic development conference focused on rural regions just like ours. In an information packed six hours you will learn how to identify, encourage and support new entrepreneurs; how you can create jobs by helping your existing businesses to scale up; and how to determine what assets and programs need to be developed to support your local businesses. “Every community in Lincoln County has the desire to bring more businesses to town,” explains EDC Director Margie Hall. “This conference is exactly the kind of resource that can make that happen.”

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Erik Pages, a national leader in rural entrepreneurship and President of EntreWorks Consulting of Arlington, Virginia. Eric works with organizations and civic leaders across the country to design, implement, and promote innovative economic development strategies tailored for rural areas. He will talk about who our rural entrepreneurs are, why he believes they are the key to revitalizing our small communities and how community leaders and stakeholders can help them succeed.

‘Small Business is Everybody’s Business’ is being held simultaneously at twenty sites across Washington with the Odessa site being hosted by the Lincoln County EDC and WSU Extension. It is the second Rural Pathways to Prosperity Conference that the two organizations have hosted in Lincoln County.

The conference is from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and doors will open at 8 a.m. to allow attendees time to register and find seats. It will be held at Any Occasion Banquet Hall, 3 West First Avenue in downtown Odessa. The registration fee is $25 before April 10, $30 after that, and includes a catered lunch and continental breakfast. To register online go to http://www.waruralprosperity.wsu.edu. To pay by check contact the EDC at edcmargie@centurylink.net or 509-725-1170.

The 2015 Rural Pathways to Prosperity Conference is sponsored by WSU Extension, Washington State Department of Commerce, Association of Washington Cities, USDA-Rural Development, Avista Corporation and the state Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.