Slate of speakers set for Lake County business success summit on March 25

MINNEOLA — When dozens of small business owners and entrepreneurs descend into Minneola City Hall on Thursday, March 25, at 4 p.m. for the Lake County Business Owners Success Summit (BOSS), a collection of impressive speakers will be greeting them.

The free summit includes a panel of speakers that will help entrepreneurs understand the latest trends in small business technical assistance, banking and economic development. Shelly Weidenhamer, Director of Business Development in Lake County for the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC), will be moderating the panel and its participants include:

• Jerry Ross, Executive Director of Disney Entrepreneur Center
• Timothy Green, President of Chamber Alliance of Lake County
• Carmenza Gonzalez, Vice President of International Business for Metro Orlando EDC
• Stacey Schmidt, Assistant Director of Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida’s Office of Research & Commercialization
• James Spencer, Area Manager, Small Business Development Center at UCF and Site Manager, UCF Business Incubator - Leesburg
• Larry Strickler, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for Workforce Central Florida
• Thomas Popieski, Area President of BankFirst
• Dottie Keedy, Director of Lake County Department of Economic Growth & Redevelopment
• Inez Long, President of Black Business Investment Fund of Central Florida

The panel will be responding to information received from registrants when they register online. The online registration asks several questions about what are the individual’s most pressing business issues, such as access to working capital, marketing and business planning.

After the panel concludes, Minneola City Councilman Victor Ortega will give a wrap-up to the summit. Participants will be given an opportunity from 6 to 7 p.m. to meet one-on-one with business resource providers. As many as 18 regional and local business resource providers will be on hand for the event and will be stationed at booths at the summit.

To register for the first Business Owners Success Summit, call Linda Green with the Lake County Department of Economic Growth & Redevelopment at (352) 343-9899 or log on to www.thebosslink.com.