Thursday, September 09, 2004

Sept. 9, 2004

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Cameron School of Business will offer a Growing Your Business Boot Camp seminar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, in Cameron Hall on the campus of UNCW.

This program is designed for business owners and managers who want to increase the profitability of their businesses through growth strategies that include expanding the geographic target market, developing new products or services and entering new markets. The program will provide participants with ideas, insights and proven tools for creating a plan to accelerate growth in businesses that have been doing well or those whose growth rates have leveled off.

Particular attention will be directed to:

• Clarifying overall goals for the next three to five years

• Identifying avenues for growth

• Using key metrics for analyzing growth options as well as the business’s present situation

• Developing performance-based measurements for targeting and monitoring performance

• Establishing a framework for implementing the plan

Boot Camp Leaders:

• Leslie Langer, regional director, Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC), UNCW

• Jim Howell, small business specialist, SBTDC, UNCW

• Boyd Robison, small business specialist, SBTDC, UNCW

• Steve Harper, distinguished professor of entrepreneurship, UNCW

• Business Profile: Becky O’Daniell, president, Atlantic Quest restaurants

The registration fee for the conference is $75 ($50 for members of the Coastal Entrepreneurial Council), which includes lunch. To register, call the UNCW Division of Public Service and Continuing Studies at 910/962-3195. Deadline for registration is Friday, Oct. 1 and space is limited.

Along with UNCW and the SBTDC, sponsors for the boot camp include the Coastal Entrepreneurial Council and the Star-News. The program luncheon is sponsored by Wachovia Bank.