Colorado Springs is about to champion its small companies June 2-8, throughout the metropolis’s sixteenth annual Small Enterprise Week.
Colorado Springs Small Enterprise Week, hosted by the Pikes Peak Small Enterprise Improvement Heart, the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and Higher Enterprise Bureau of Southern Colorado, has grown to be acknowledged as the biggest and most well-attended within the state — and one of many largest within the nation, in line with Paul Myers-Bennett, vice chairman of selling and occasions for the native BBB.
Greater than 11,000 individuals had been logged into the net boards throughout the pandemic, he says.
Whereas Nationwide Small Enterprise Week is the primary week of Might, “we push our occasion out to June as a result of we wish to have large out of doors gatherings, and that is Colorado, the place climate is a factor,” Myers-Bennett says.
This yr’s occasion is sports activities themed with the kickoff Small Enterprise Bash hosted at Weidner Discipline. Tickets to the occasion — a celebration centered round networking alternatives and out of doors festivities — embrace entry to the Switchbacks soccer recreation following.
All of the workshops and occasions will probably be held at sports activities venues round city, together with a advertising workshop titled “Changing into a Advertising and marketing Champion” on the ProRodeo Corridor of Fame & Museum of the American Cowboy; “Flying on the Velocity of Enterprise: Learn how to Construct For The Future” at iFly Indoor Skydiving; “Constructing a Championship Staff: Learn how to Appeal to and Retain MVPs” on the Rocky Mountain Vibes stadium; and the closing ceremony celebrating Small Enterprise Week award winners on the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
“There’s no different occasion like this honoring and celebrating small enterprise and small enterprise homeowners,” Myers-Bennett says.
BBB of Southern Colorado has been a part of organizing Small Enterprise Week from the start, and it’s the group’s largest occasion of the yr.
“Small enterprise is extremely necessary to our group and our native financial system,” Myers-Bennett says. “Our financial system is small enterprise — interval. It’s the place cash comes into our group and the place it stays in our group.”
The vast majority of BBB of Southern Colorado’s members are small companies, he says.
The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC is once more serving to to host Small Enterprise Week, having been a part of forming the occasion within the early years. “We’re excited to have them again within the combine,” Myers-Bennett says.
Closing ceremonies will happen on the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
Pikes Peak SBDC has lengthy been a driving pressure behind the occasion domestically — throughout her decade as govt director there, Aikta Marcoulier spearheaded the occasion by means of a lot of its progress. Brandon Eldridge stepped into the position in April, making this his first Small Enterprise Week on the helm of Pikes Peak SBDC. Eldridge, who beforehand labored in enterprise banking with JPMorgan Chase and Vectra Financial institution for 11 years and has served on quite a few native boards and nonprofits, calls himself a “group builder” and is enthusiastic concerning the group’s flagship occasion.
“The workshops and occasions are very strong and have nice content material,” Eldridge says. “However they’re additionally wonderful networking alternatives. You’re going to fulfill different small enterprise homeowners who will encourage you and who’re going that will help you transfer what you are promoting ahead.”
Small Enterprise Week’s advertising workshop has traditionally been its greatest attended occasion, and this yr it comes with a twist. With synthetic intelligence producing buzz worldwide, organizers determined a workshop on integrating AI into advertising would meet a urgent want.
The second workshop is on the way forward for enterprise and the way financial developments might affect native small enterprise.
There’s no different occasion like this honoring and celebrating small enterprise and small enterprise homeowners.
— Paul Myers-Bennett
“We’re publish pandemic,” Myers-Bennett says. “We’re out of it now, so what does the longer term appear to be? How can we plan for it and adapt to the brand new world?”
The third workshop addresses worker recruitment and retention, which Myers-Bennett says immediately tackles a necessity amongst small companies within the Springs.
“Hiring and retaining expertise has been an actual battle,” he says. “These are issues our members and native small enterprise homeowners have been asking about.”
Whereas the workshops goal to teach and encourage small enterprise homeowners, the occasion can also be honors leaders and innovators in small enterprise. Nominations are in, and winners will probably be introduced on the closing ceremonies occasion. And all week lengthy, members of the small enterprise group will probably be making significant connections by means of networking.
“Small Enterprise Week isn’t purported to be simply fits and ties,” Eldridge says. “It’s a enjoyable celebration of native companies. This needs to be a beautiful occasion.”
