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San Diego, CA – Representatives from the San Diego and Imperial SBDC Network and the San Diego SBA District office will be present to speak at the upcoming GrowBiz Conference and SBA Awards Luncheon on Friday, August 17th from 8:00 am until 1:30 pm at the Double Tree Hotel in Mission Valley.  For more information and to reserve tickets please visit www.growmybiz.org. Early registration is $49 through August 10, 2012. After August 10, tickets will be $69. Table reservations are available.
Presenters were selected for their insights into social media, cloud computing, sales tactics, website development, business synergies, and new industry trends. Attendees will learn from the best of the best including: Darnell Holloway of YELP!; Rhonda Abrams of The Planning Shop; Eric Lund of CONVIS; Jenn Barber, Senior Social Media Strategist from SiteLab Interactive; Chris Murch from Captain Email, Tiffany Bromfield of the BID Council, Caz Taylor from BizVid Communications; and representatives from Jimdo; and Constant Contact. There will also be a procurement panel featuring San Diego Housing Authority, San Diego Unified School District and RQ Construction. Opportunities for business owners to schedule one-on-one appointments with buyers and small business advocates will be available.

Workshops will focus on growing brands, sales, profit, and business opportunities. The annual SBA Awards Luncheon featuring renown author and columnist, Rhonda Abrams, will follow the workshops recognizing successful businesses and outstanding business advocates within the region.

“The caliber of presenters and their willingness to help small businesses is outstanding as well as inspiring. Their participation will make the GrowBiz conference a success and an annual event,” said Debbie Trujillo, Regional Director of the San Diego and Imperial SBDC Regional Network. “We are excited to offer valuable industry tools while recognizing the accomplishments of small business in our region,” continued Trujillo.

The GrowBIz Conference and Small Business Awards Luncheon will encourage and educate small business owners, representatives from business organizations, executives, business service providers, sales and marketing directors and legislative representatives.

About the San Diego and Imperial Region Small Business Development Center Network:
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The Mission of the SBDC is to provide superior business consulting and education that results in entrepreneurial success and economic growth and prosperity for California. Over the last five years the SBDC Network has assisted more than 12,000 businesses.
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Under the guidance of professional advisers, clients have generated more than $41 million in capital infusion in the local economy. The SBDC offers guidance on how to reduce the cost of operations, increase sales and market share, financing, money management, exporting internationally, online marketing, patent and technology commercialization, and market research. Consulting is paid for by the SBA and other funding sources for businesses that are ready to grow and is available in a private setting at one of four full-service centers and six outreach locations. To learn more about how to grow a business go to,www.growmybiz.org or call 619.482.6388.

San Diego, CA – The San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Regional Network reached a cooperative enterprise with SmallBizRocket, a joint initiative developed between Jimdo, and the California SBDCs.

San Diego, CA – The San Diego SBDC joins the Kaufman Foundation to deliver Kauffman FastTrac to U.S. military veterans interested in starting and growing their own companies online courses starting in June. The FastTrac® NewVenture™ course, developed by Kauffman FastTrac, is designed to help veterans transition into the civilian workforce by equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with the knowledge to launch a business. The course, a $700 value, is being offered free of charge to veterans.

Media contact:
Elizabeth Steinberg, Kauffman FastTrac
(816) 932-1136​
esteinberg@kauffman.org

The veteran courses are made possible through a grant recently awarded Kauffman FastTrac to help equip veterans with the skills they need to re-enter the workforce. The grant includes training, implementation and development of supplemental course materials specific to veterans’ needs. FastTrac-certified instructors, who are both veterans and experienced entrepreneurs, will teach the courses.

The San Diego course is offered in addition to classes being held in cities across the United States, most are being delivered face-to-face in classroom settings in Dover, Del.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Houston; Jacksonville, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; San Diego; and Washington, while some are online. Each course, including those online, is 10 weeks in duration with one session per week.

The course will offer guidance in starting a successful business. Curriculum will include how to align new business ideas with marketplace realities, find target markets and competitive advantages, develop brands and will offer time to network with likeminded entrepreneurs and learn fundamental steps to running and growing a business.

“Through this initiative, Accenture and Kauffman FastTrac are equipping veterans with the skills to create their own jobs through entrepreneurship,” said Alana Muller, president of Kauffman FastTrac.“The skills and experience our veterans possess – leadership attributes as well as the ability to manage risk and build teams – are strong assets to create and build businesses.”
For more information about the FastTrac Veterans Initiative, please visit www.fasttrac.org/veterans.

Alex Galicia, an Iraq War Veteran, will serve as instructor for the San Diego program starting in August. Galicia, who took over the family plumbing business in 2005 and is now the CEO of BPI Plumbing, has plenty of experience.  He continues to serve as a Commissioned Officer (Major) in the Army National Guard and has received various degrees and trainings in business. Galicia has discovered how to create a successful and strategic business. “I find a lot of satisfaction in instructing other veterans on how to become successful in their business endeavors,” he said.

After the completion of the FastTrac® NewVentureTM for the Veteran Entrepreneur program, the San Diego and Imperial SBDC Network will continue to assist graduates through no cost consulting services in business areas such as finance, marketing, procurement, management, and much more.

About Kauffman FastTrac®

Kauffman FastTrac is the leading provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources, and network to start and grow successful businesses.  Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the United States devoted to entrepreneurship. For more information about Kauffman FastTrac, visit www.fasttrac.org and follow the organization on Twitter at @fasttrac, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kauffmanfasttrac and connect on LinkedIn at www.fasttrac.org/linkedin.

About the San Diego and Imperial SBDC Network:

Of the San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network is to provide superior business consulting and education that results in entrepreneurial success and economic growth and prosperity for California. Over the last five years the Network has assisted more than 12,000 businesses. Under the guidance of professional advisers, clients have generated more than $41 million in capital infusion in the local economy. The SBDC offers guidance on how to reduce the cost of operations, increase sales and market share, financing, money management, exporting internationally, online marketing, patent and technology commercialization, and market research. Consulting is complimentary to businesses that are ready to grow and is available in a private setting at one of four full-service centers and six outreach locations.

To learn more about how to grow your business go to, www.growmybiz.org or call 619.482.6388.

The San Diego Small Business Development Center (SBDC) welcomes Marquise Jackson, as the team’s new special projects manager. With an extensive background in consulting, marketing, budget management, technology commercialization, market research and the science of physics Jackson will bring a whole dynamic to the San Diego office.

A student of science, Jackson said it is interesting to observe how small changes in technology, economy and knowledge can change the landscape of business practice and operations.

“Physics is the study of motion and what best describes me is being a student of the motion of business,” he said. “I am always searching for ways to predict business paradigm changes and ways to capitalize on those changes. I bring a spirit of constant innovation and improvement of our services and will provide our small businesses with the best resources possible to sustain them in an ever changing marketplace.”

Jackson comes to the San Diego SBDC with many years of multi-level skills working with scientists, the U.S. Military, private companies and the TRITECH SBDC in Riverside, Calif. His previous experience and knowledge provides a wealth of understanding of the needs of small businesses along with a strategic mindset in preparing the SBDC to serve its clients’ needs.
Jackson said San Diego is a prime community for small businesses and that his goal is to make the SBDC the leading source in connecting small businesses to resources that will help them prosper and grow. A firm believer in developing the local “small business ecosystem,” he said the San Diego SBDC has strong strategic goals and unlimited potential in its ability to serve the local small business community.

“This ecosystem consists of various small business resources that work together to foster the growth and development, ultimately leading to improving the economy,” he said. “My first goal at the SBDC is to identify our purpose in this local ecosystem, work to develop key relationships and leverage its vast resources to create more impact to our clients and the community.”

Debbie Trujillo, San Diego SBDC director said she looks forward to working with Jackson and the new talent he brings to help local entrepreneurs thrive.

“His unique background is going to help us expand our reach and areas of service,” said Trujillo. “Marquise’s strong background in alternative financing and technology commercialization is a great fit for the San Diego region.”

Jackson has a Masters of Business Administration, with a dual concentration in Marketing and Entrepreneurship and a Certificate in Technology Commercialization with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from California State University San Bernardino. He earned his Bachelors of Science with a concentration in Physics from Benedict College, Columbia, South Carolina.