Growing Your Small Business in Gainesville: A Conversation with City Leaders

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Name: Growing Your Small Business in Gainesville: A Conversation with City Leaders
Date: May 13, 2013
Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
Registration: Register Now
Event Description:
The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to invite business owners to attend “Growing Your Small Business in Gainesville: A Conversation with City Leaders,” a special event designed  to encourage collaboration between business and city leaders and build an environment in Gainesville that fosters small business growth.
Hosted by Mayor-Elect Ed Braddy, the event will take place on Monday, May 13 at 5:30pm at the Senior Recreation Center, located at 5701 NW 34th St., Gainesville, FL 32653. This meeting is free and open to the public.
City commissioners and staff are expected to attend to discuss the concerns of small business owners and how the city can work with them to grow their business through the various stages of the business cycle. This 2-hour event will feature opening remarks from Braddy and City Commissioners and will be facilitated by Chamber staff. During the program, businesses will be invited to participate in topical breakout sessions specifically designed to delve more deeply into areas of concern and brainstorm solutions to obstacles faced by businesses.
Mayor-Elect Braddy calls the event the first step in addressing the everyday problems faced by small business owners, an issue he said he campaigned on as a key focus of his administration. 
"Small businesses are the economic lifeblood of our community. It's where most jobs are created and where men and women can pursue their dreams of being their own boss," Braddy said.
"The purpose of this event is for City officials to listen to the concerns of small businesses and enact policies to enable their success," Braddy said.
Gainesville Chamber President & CEO Tim Giuliani agrees, adding “the event is a great way for our small business owners to discuss their concerns directly with city commissioners and establish a platform from which the business community can grow and thrive.”
“We hope as a result of this dialogue the lines of communication between business and the city will strengthen and our entire community can grow collaboratively and sustainably,” Giuliani said.
Feedback gained from this event will be used to influence future policy, Giuliani said.
The Gainesville Chamber has been the voice of business in Gainesville since 1924 and represents nearly 1,200 member businesses that employ more than 70,000 people. The Chamber’s primary focus is to support the growth of the local business community and to strengthen the economy in Gainesville and Alachua County.
The Chamber and Council for Economic Outreach’s economic development initiative, Innovation Gainesville, has built a successful collaboration throughout Alachua County to build an innovation economy to spur economic growth, and it is hoped that this event will be the first step in building a mechanism that directly affects small business in a positive manner.
Location:
Senior Recreation Center
5701 NW 34th St., Gainesville, FL 32653
Date/Time Information:
Monday May 13
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm     
Contact Information:
Kamal Latham
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