INSTIG8 Spring Workshops Stimulating Small Business Activity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/4/2018
Adam Grinold, Executive Director
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation
802-257-7731
agrinoldn@brattleborodevelopment.com
www.brattleborodevelopment.com
BDCC’s INSTIG8 joins forces with local businesses to help other small businesses
Windham County, VT. This spring the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation’s INSTIG8 program is offering several workshops to help small businesses. INSTIG8 is partnering with local experts specializing in management, leadership, technology, SWOT Analysis, and workplace efficiencies. Registration and additional information are available at www.brattleborodevelopment.com.
Beginning April 11, Jennifer Jacobs and Karen Blumberg of THRIVEeap will facilitate a 5-part series on management and leadership entitled “How does a leader inspire, develop and motivate?” Through engaging and fill-your-toolkit discussions THRIVEeap will cover these essential topics for today’s managers and leaders these workshops focus on helping managers and supervisors become effective leaders. Dates: 4/11, 5/2, 5/23, 6/13, and 6/27. Cost: The entire series is $100, individual workshops are $25. Location: BDCC, 76 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
On May 3rd INSTIG8 will host an information session for a two-part, hands-on workshop with Jeff Lewis and R.T. Brown. The workshop, “What is SWOT – Refine and Define Your Small Business,” involves a structured SWOT analysis to help businesses understand strengths, opportunities, threats, and weaknesses and then use this information to implement change. Jeff Lewis has helped dozens of companies re-shape how they think about what they do – and perhaps more importantly – why they do it. Recommended attendees for this series are general managers and owners. Dates: 5/10 and 5/17. This series is $75. Location: BDCC, 76 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
In Londonderry, May 29th from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., INSTIG8 will organize a Small Business Resource Workshop at the Town Office Building, 100 Old School Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155. This two-hour workshop pulls together a variety of resources to help small businesses at various stages. If you’re starting-up, need to expand, or need to start thinking about transitioning away from the daily operations, resources will be available to help you understand potential next steps. Participating resources include: BDCC, VtSBDC, The Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC), Pieciak & Company Accountants, and Dunkiel Saunders Law Firm.
On June 5th and 12th, Bob Lawson of Sustainable Digital will conduct a hands-on, day-long workshop on the website platform Squarespace. This workshop is structured to help you a design a site, craft each page, and finally turn the site live without the need for a webmaster. You will work on your own site, using your own computer, under the skilled eye of the workshop instructor. While there is no guarantee that you can complete the site in just the single day, if you invest the time and energy to learn Squarespace, you will be able to launch your site soon after the workshop. Dates: 6/5 and 6/12. The cost for this workshop is $140. Location: BDCC, 76 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
On June 26th VMEC (Vermont Manufacturing Extension Service) will help businesses become more efficient with their highly regarded “Fundamentals of Lean Office 101”. The workshop focuses on the unique application of LEAN, developed for manufacturing processes, to the office environment where processes are not always visible. Using an interactive approach, students will use several tools to learn the best way to see a process, identify waste and determine the LEAN tools to use to create a more effective administrative organization. Dates: 6/26. Check the BDCC INSTIG8 website event listings for forthcoming details.
In addition to these training and workshops, INSTIG8 will be hosting several upcoming events for entrepreneurs. On April 30th a Mini-Pitch Pitch Party at Duo Restaurant in Brattleboro, and on June 20th an Idea Jam, location TBD. Also in June INSTIG8 will sponsor a BDCC Microentrepreneur Loan Program Mixer with the Great Falls Chamber at the Waypoint Center in Bellows Falls.
To stay connected and informed, and register for upcoming events and workshops, refer to the growing INSTIG8 calendar at https://www.brattleborodevelopment.com/public-events/category/INSTIG8. If you have specific questions about any of these events or would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact R.T. Brown at rbrown@brattleborodevelopment.com.
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About INSTIG8
INSTIG8 is a suite of services, programs, and ecosystem development activities at the BDCC focused on small and emerging businesses. INSTIG8 benefits the region because, 1.) entrepreneurship and innovation leads to new business and job creation, 2.) higher levels of regional entrepreneurship gives people employment choices, and 3.) new ideas and collaborations lead to new combinations which lead to business creation. For more information please visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/instig8/
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth throughout Southeastern Vermont, including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, and Weston. BDCC serves as the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area. BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. For more information visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) is an affiliate of BDCC that grew from a 2008 grassroots effort, initiated by BDCC, to reverse the economic decline of the Windham Region and plan for the economic impacts from the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. In 2014, after multiple years of regional input, education and data gathering, SeVEDS submitted the Windham Region’s federally recognized S.M.A.R.T. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for federal approval. For more information visit: www.seveds.com.
