Small business owners throughout the area attended a half-day workshop Thursday sponsored by the Oklahoma Small Business Advocacy Committee and hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Seminole State College.
The “New World – New Marketing – New Money!” program was held from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Enoch Kelly Haney Center on the southwest corner of the SSC campus.
This South Central Small Business Conference was one of several being hosted across the state to promote economic development and particularly, small business retention and growth. Special guest for the event was Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins.
Askins, who has been appointed by Gov. Brad Henry as “Oklahoma’s Small Business Advocate,” has been given the task of providing assistance to small business owners throughout the state. Askins spoke to conference attendees during the noon luncheon.
“The importance of small business forum meetings is two-fold,” Askins said. “We want to make businesses aware of the resources available to them and help provide assistance.”
In addition to learning about electronic marketing and building an effective Web site for a small business, participants received information on “Insure Oklahoma,” the Small Business Administration, and exploring growth opportunities in government contracting and international business.
Seminole business owners David Zehren with GOFF Industries, Scott Sutcliffe with Formcrete and Craig Froelich with Enviro systems and Shawnee business owner Chuck Mills with Mills Machinery participated in a panel discussion about their success in business growth and development.
The Oklahoma Small Business Advocacy Committee, a sponsor, is a group that gives small businesses a voice and influence over new or existing rules affecting their day-to-day operations. The Committee reviews new rules set by State agencies to determine if they will adversely impact small businesses and suggests less restrictive alternatives and/or creative, flexible means for business to comply to the rules wherever possible. The committee can also assist businesses with concerns about existing rules.
The committee is composed of 13 business owners and chairs of the Oklahoma House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee and the Senate Business and Labor Committee.
Local members of the OSBRFA include Chuck Mills, Mills Machines Company, Inc., of Shawnee and Roy Sisco, Seminole Ford, Seminole. State Sen. Harry Coates, R-Seminole, also serves on the committee in his position as co-chair of the Senate Business and Labor Committee.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, small businesses in Oklahoma comprise 95 percent of the state’s economy, with 75 percent of those enterprises employing fewer than 10 people.
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Small business owners throughout the area attended a half-day workshop Thursday sponsored by the Oklahoma Small Business Advocacy Committee and hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Seminole State College.
The “New World – New Marketing – New Money!” program was held from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Enoch Kelly Haney Center on the southwest corner of the SSC campus.
This South Central Small Business Conference was one of several being hosted across the state to promote economic development and particularly, small business retention and growth. Special guest for the event was Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins.
Askins, who has been appointed by Gov. Brad Henry as “Oklahoma’s Small Business Advocate,” has been given the task of providing assistance to small business owners throughout the state. Askins spoke to conference attendees during the noon luncheon.
“The importance of small business forum meetings is two-fold,” Askins said. “We want to make businesses aware of the resources available to them and help provide assistance.”
In addition to learning about electronic marketing and building an effective Web site for a small business, participants received information on “Insure Oklahoma,” the Small Business Administration, and exploring growth opportunities in government contracting and international business.
Seminole business owners David Zehren with GOFF Industries, Scott Sutcliffe with Formcrete and Craig Froelich with Enviro systems and Shawnee business owner Chuck Mills with Mills Machinery participated in a panel discussion about their success in business growth and development.
The Oklahoma Small Business Advocacy Committee, a sponsor, is a group that gives small businesses a voice and influence over new or existing rules affecting their day-to-day operations. The Committee reviews new rules set by State agencies to determine if they will adversely impact small businesses and suggests less restrictive alternatives and/or creative, flexible means for business to comply to the rules wherever possible. The committee can also assist businesses with concerns about existing rules.
The committee is composed of 13 business owners and chairs of the Oklahoma House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee and the Senate Business and Labor Committee.
Local members of the OSBRFA include Chuck Mills, Mills Machines Company, Inc., of Shawnee and Roy Sisco, Seminole Ford, Seminole. State Sen. Harry Coates, R-Seminole, also serves on the committee in his position as co-chair of the Senate Business and Labor Committee.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, small businesses in Oklahoma comprise 95 percent of the state’s economy, with 75 percent of those enterprises employing fewer than 10 people.
