TMCnet News
Conference here will talk about 'microbusiness'May 03, 2013 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Small business means big things for local economies. And there's a conference next week in St. Louis that will focus on making very small businesses mean even more. About 500 members of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity are gathering Sunday through Wednesday at the Chase Park Plaza for their annual convention. AEO is a group that advocates for the nation's 25.5 million "micro-businesses" -- defined as companies with five or fewer employees -- and helps them find loans and access professional services. The conference will feature a variety of panels and programs about accessing capital and business services, and one focused on helping small food-industry companies to grow. Keynote speakers will include Daymond John, founder and chief executive of clothing label FUBU, and urban agriculture expert Will Allen. It's the first time the annual event has been held in St. Louis, and it's being hosted by Justine Petersen, a community development nonprofit in midtown. "The microbusiness industry is vital not only to St. Louis, but also cities across America," said St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green. "Microbusiness is a national topic but the conference poses a rich opportunity for St. Louis to examine its business environment for entrepreneurs." The conference is open to the public. More information and a schedule are available at www.aeoworks.org. ___ (c)2013 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |