Fulton County Small Business Symposium to Benefit Local Entrepreneurs
Small business owners in Fulton County are in for a treat as the County’s Center for Regional Growth (CRG) puts together the first ever Fulton County Small Business Symposium on June 13, 2021.
According to the CRG, the event will provide an avenue for entrepreneurs to take advantage of expert advice from a host of non-profit and government agencies and vendors.
Jennifer Donovan, CRG’s downtown development specialist, further reiterated that the free event will offer numerous networking opportunities for attendees.
“People will visit the vendors’ tables and get to know each other,” she said. “You never know if there’s another business they can help you with, and you can help them tap into that synergy.”
Participants will take advantage of the opportunity to speak one-on-one with representatives from state and local agencies, including the Fulton-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Empire State Development, and the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District.
Speakers at the event are Greg Chanese of the Small Business Development Center and Betsy Emery of Emery Designs.
Preparations for the event have been in high gear, with the organizers providing all necessary information about venue and registration.
The event’s host, CRG, said they have spent a lot of time developing grant programs and administering them, particularly for small and new businesses.
Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
As entrepreneurs begin to recover from the pandemic’s effects, which adversely affected small businesses, the symposium will offer a platform for them to make up for lost time.
Jon Stead, Fulton County administrative officer, stated that the pandemic had not been as detrimental to small businesses as initially anticipated. He said the retail, tourism, and outdoor recreation sectors had come out strong. The symposium, according to him, would be apt to help those businesses that have struggled during the pandemic, especially restaurants.
“With the pandemic receding, Stead said he hopes small businesses will thrive in the Fulton County region. That seems to be the trend,” he said. “I think a lot of us were surprised that our retail, tourism, and outdoor recreation sectors actually came out of the pandemic pretty strong.”
Stead added that the event, which is the first of its kind in the county, would foster networking and provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity to look at different grant programs.
“It should also help some of those businesses that have struggled during the pandemic, particularly restaurants,” he continued.
The Albany Business Center will also be on hand to provide attendees with business plans to start thinking about projections and goals, and help them look at different grant programs to boost their business.
Final Words
As the pandemic’s aftermath starts to dissipate, and small businesses begin to return to pre-COVID levels, the symposium appears to be a timely intervention to help entrepreneurs engage stakeholders, receive funding advice and tap into new markets. The Fulton County Small Business Symposium could be instrumental in helping small business owners thrive and grow their businesses, particularly those that struggled during the pandemic.
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JOHNSTOWN – Small business owners in Fulton County will have the opportunity to take advantage of expert advice from a host of non-profit and government agencies at the Fulton County Small Business Symposium on June 13 in Johnstown.
Hosted by the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth (CRG), the information session for local small business owners will be held from 4:30-7:00 pm at the Holiday Inn at 308 Comrie Ave.
The free event is the first countywide symposium the group has hosted, and Jennifer Donovan, CRG’s downtown development specialist, noted that the event will also include vendors from Montgomery County.
Donovan said the event will provide numerous networking opportunities for attendees.
“People will visit the vendors’ tables and get to know each other,” he said. “You never know if there’s another business they can help you with, and you can help them tap into that synergy.”
Fulton County Administrative Officer Jon Stead praised CRG for its efforts to help small businesses get off the ground.
“Our Fulton County Center for Regional Growth has done a good job, particularly helping small businesses in the last four or five years and coming out of COVID,” he said. “They have spent a lot of time developing grant programs and administering grant programs, particularly for small and new businesses.”
Attendees will be able to speak with representatives from state and local agencies, including the Fulton-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Empire State Development and the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District.
“Sometimes people don’t know how to start a business,” Donovan said. “The Albany Business Center can help you with business plans so you can start thinking about projections and goals, and you’ll have someone in the room to help you look at different grant programs. So the idea is to try to get everyone in the same room. So if you’re trying to start a business or expand it and you’re not quite sure what the steps are, it’s easier to go from table A to table B than it is to pick up the phone and go through the list.”
With the pandemic receding, Stead said he hopes small businesses will thrive in the Fulton County region.
“That seems to be the trend,” he said. “I think a lot of us were surprised that our retail, tourism, and outdoor recreation sectors actually came out of the pandemic pretty strong. We were very worried that they would be badly damaged. But particularly the outdoor recreation and tourism and home rental sectors, which have held up and been quite strong. So I think it’s a good time to date people who are looking to start new businesses that have some growth potential, and it should also help some of those businesses that have struggled during the pandemic, particularly restaurants.”
The free event on June 13 will include presentations by Greg Chanese of the Small Business Development Center and Betsy Emery of Emery Designs.
Small business owners are encouraged to RSVP to the event by emailing Donovan at [email protected] or by calling (518) 725-7700 ext. 4.
Contact Ted Remsnyder on tremsn[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @TedRemsnyder.
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