Operation: Start Up & Grow

Do you want to start a business? Expand your existing business? Find all the resources in one location at this FREE conference for veteran entrepreneurs! Operation: Start Up & Grow is the premier veterans business conference in Upstate New York for our veterans and members of the military community who want to start or expand their own small business.

Conference highlights include keynote address from Brian Bluff, USN veteran and president of Site-Seeker, Inc. and emcee interview with Mary Warren, PE, USAF veteran and president of Black Horse Group General Contractors (read their business stories in our event newsletter). The half-day event includes breakout workshops, dozens of exhibitors, networking sessions, awards ceremony and lunch.

REGISTRATION
Registration is now open! Please contact SBA at 315-471-9393 ext. 233 or stephanie.ubowski@sba.gov to register for the event.

SPONSORS
The 2012 Operation: Start Up & Grow conference is sponsored by: Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University, M&T Bank, New York Business Development Corporation, New York Veteran Business Outreach Center, Onondaga Community College, Small Business Development Center at Onondaga Community College, The Tech Garden, U.S. Small Business Administration, and WISE Women's Business Center.

EXHIBITORS
Allgaier Law Firm, Clear Path for Veterans, Empire State Development, Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, Excelsior College, Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University, Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, M&T Bank, New York Business Development Corporation, New York State Division of Veteran's Center, New York State Office of General Services Procurement Services Group, New York Veteran Business Outreach Center, North Country Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Onondaga Community College Veterans Affairs Office, Onondaga County Veterans Services Agency, Onondaga Employee Leasing Services, Inc., Operation V.I.S.T.A., PathStone Enterprise Center, Site-Seeker, Inc., Small Business Development Center at Onondaga Community College, Start-Up NY, Syracuse SCORE, Syracuse Veterans Center, Syracuse Literacy Zones, The Tech Garden, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Buffalo Medical Center, U.S. Small Business Administration, Visions Federal Credit Union, Watertown Veterans Center and WISE Women's Business Center.

AGENDA

8:45-9:00 Registration-Networking

9:00-9:05 Opening Remarks

9:05-9:15 SBA Initiatives for Veteran Small Businesses

9:15-10:00 Keynote Address from USN veteran Brian Bluff, president of Site-Seeker, Inc.

10:00-10:30 Networking with Exhibitors

10:30-11:15 Workshops

- Social Media-Bootstrap Marketing
- Where's the Money?
- Doing Business With Uncle Sam

11:15-12:00 Workshops

- Marketing-Tools to Increase Market Share
- A Look at a Successful Veteran Loan
- The VA as Your Customer

12:00 Lunch

12:20 Awards Presentation: Veteran-Owned Business Achievement Award and Patriot Lender of the Year Award