This year marks the 8th annual Jumpstart Conference and Chemical Bank will serve as the entrepreneurial event’s corporate sponsor. The conference will be held on Feb. 26, 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Gateway Centre in Flint.
Participants will have the opportunity to hear from Keynote Speaker Mark Rice, President of Loving Hands, a home health care agency located in Flint. Rice will share valuable insights on what it takes to run a successful business.
In addition, the conference will feature five breakout sessions:
- Inventors: Idea to FabLab to Market: Featuring insights on prototyping, product development and other available tools to take your idea from concept to creation.
- Lending: What to Expect: Learn to obtain a commercial loan from the bank and the SBA, including SBA loan support programs.
- Business Plan Basics: It isn’t simply a requirement for getting a loan – find out how it helps you figure out and virtually test your business concept.
- Marketing: Old, new, tried, true: Get insights on what to do, why to do it and how to create a larger “footprint” on the web
- Business Symposium- Exclusively for businesses with at least three years of history that are ready to build on what they have already achieved, with experts in finance, marketing, talent and strategic planning.
There will also be an awards ceremony featuring the annual Spark and Rising Star awards. The Spark Award is reserved for businesses that have been in operation for two years or less, has a clearly identified market and has exhibited growth potential. The Rising Star Award is awarded to businesses with 50 or more full-time employees and $200,000 or more in annual revenue. Rising Star awardees are businesses that have stood the test of time and continue to grow, despite previous setbacks.
Jumpstart offer a continental breakfast, and lunch is also provided. The event is open to the public at $20 per person, $5 for students who pre-register and $10 for students at the door. A student ID. is required to obtain the student fee. Approximately 150 people attended last year and attendance is expected to grow for 2015.
Please contact Co-chair and Business Development Manager Karena Hamlet at 810-600-1440 or for more information.