Windham – The Connecticut District Office of the United States Small Business Administration will host its inaugural and free Veterans Business Expo Nov. 2 at the East City Veterans Community Center at 47 Crescent St. It’s running in Willimantic.
Veterans and their family members will receive workshops and resources from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration is encouraged but not required, and registration is available at bit.ly/CTVeteransExpo.
“The overall goal, as we know National Veterans Small Business Week, is to serve the community that we have served,” said Connecticut District Office Director Kathryn Marks.
The keynote speaker, before the workshops begin at 9:30 a.m., will be Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Thomas J. Sadie.
The workshops are Veteran Owned Certified Small Business (9:30 am), Business Planning Basics (10:15 am), Finance (11 am), Franchising (11:45 am), Veteran Readiness and Employment Services (12). : 30 pm), and Veterans Business Development Center Resources (1 pm).
Exhibitors include Connecticut Secretary of State, Connecticut Procurement and Technical Assistance Center, Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Eastern City SCORE, Southeast Connecticut Enterprise Region, several banks and more.
SBA New England regional manager Mike Vlacic said the idea is to “bring more management of all resources under one roof.” He added that it is not only for people who want to start a business, but also for existing business owners who want to grow or change.
Vlacic said there are 16,000 veteran-owned businesses in Connecticut, 81,000 in New England and nearly 2 million across the country.
e.moser@theday.com
