“Entrepreneurs drive the economy, and we want to make sure that here in Loudoun County, they can drive farther and faster,” said Buddy Rizer, Loudoun Economic Development’s executive director. Loudoun Small Business Week 2016 is designed to give people with great ideas the right tools to build successful businesses.
“We have almost 20 events scheduled for May 16-22 that will help educate, connect and celebrate our small business community,” said Vanessa Wagner, Loudoun Economic Development’s small business and entrepreneurship manager.
The week kicks off with “Fail Forward,” where successful local business owners will reveal the obstacles they had to overcome to grow their companies. The moderator is Ed Zigo, president of Clarke-Hook; panelists are Sharon Virts, CEO of FCi Federal; Chad MacDonald, Managing Partner of Connected Ventures, LLC, and Justin Dobson, co-owner of Comfenergy.
Other workshops focus on helping participants learn how to start a business, find funding, hire staff and apply for patents. There are also a number of networking events.
“One of the highlights of the week will definitely be Thursday’s mixer/movie,” Wagner said.
The event will be held at the Cobb Theater in Leesburg, and starts with an After Hours Mixer cosponsored by the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. The evening includes a screening of “Maker: A Documentary on the Maker Movement,” followed by a panel discussion featuring Pat Scannell, founder and CEO of Makersmiths; Scott and Becky Harris, founders of Catoctin Creek Distillery; Sean Quill, co-owner of Barn Owl Primitives; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Jason Osborne, and INDI’s Adam Rossi.
Loudoun Economic Development will debut an app that attendees can use to track Small Business Week events, locations and speakers. For more details, visit LoudounSBW.org.
About the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development – Loudoun County, Virginia is the home of Dulles International Airport and anchors Washington D.C.’s technology corridor. Loudoun is also home to the #1 data center hub in America. Named by New York-based SmartAsset as having the highest quality of life of any major county in America, Loudoun is at the top of Virginia’s counties for business investment. Find out how we can help you locate and grow in Loudoun: 1-(800)LOUDOUN, or biz.loudoun.gov.
