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Delta State to present first-ever Delta Business and Entrepreneurial Symposium

By July 23, 2010General

Dr. Brent Hales, Director of the Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Research at Delta State, is working to recruit participants to upcoming Delta Business and Entrepreneurial Symposium, Wednesday, March 29 in Stoneville. For more information or to register, please contact Hales at (662) 846-4233 or at bhales@deltastate.edu.

Delta State University, through its College of Business, Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Research, Small Business Development Center and Center for Community and Economic Development, in partnership with the Mississippi Micro Enterprise and Assistance Network, will present the first annual Delta Business and Entrepreneurial Symposium, Wednesday, March 29. 

To be held at the Charles W. Capps Entrepreneurial Center in Stoneville, Miss., from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., the symposium will feature information on entrepreneurial opportunities in the Delta region, opportunities for funding and programs designed to assist existing and emerging entrepreneurs.  Jim Clinton, Executive Director of the Southern Growth Policies Board, will keynote the event’s luncheon. 

In the last 10 years, the Mississippi Delta has experienced significant manufacturing employment decline.  And with such declines are expected to continue, the traditional method of seeking large-scale manufacturing opportunities is costly and often ineffective.  

Similarly, most new jobs for the uneducated or low skilled workers pay minimum or near-minimum wages and are not substantially increasing wealth in the community.  Additionally, population declines are projected for the region for the next 15 years by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Office of Policy Research and Planning (2005). 

Such downturns affect communities’ tax bases and their ability to promote their existing businesses. Opportunities for growth in the Delta may largely depend on using local resources and local talent to promote new small or niche businesses. 

The Delta Business and Entrepreneurial Symposium will highlight innovations in entrepreneurialism and mechanisms that communities can use to encourage small business development. 

According to Dr. Brent Hales, Director of the Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Research at Delta State, “The Symposium is designed to bring together community and business leaders, interested entrepreneurs, economic development professionals, and other interested parties, to both learn about entrepreneurship and to create a network of existing and emerging entrepreneurs.  I would encourage anyone interested in learning about entrepreneurship to attend this symposium.” 

The cost of the symposium is $10.  For more information or to register attendance, please contact Dr. Hales at (662) 846-4233 or at bhales@deltastate.edu