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PORT ARTHUR — An inaugural Small Business Symposium plans to be an asset for Orange County entrepreneurs and those businesses that serve them.

The Small Business Development Center at Lamar State College Port Arthur, with a coverage area including Bridge City, Orange and Vidor, as well as Jefferson County, is hosting the event Oct. 13 at Robert “Bob” Bowers Civic Center in Port Arthur.

It takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All southeast Texas area small businesses are welcome to register at https://bit.ly/3UGlv9G.

Advanced registration is required for a $30/pp registration fee (includes lunch). It is encouraged that all registrations are made by Oct. 7.

In addition, businesses that provide services to small business owners are also invited to participate as an exhibitor. Contact LSCPA SBDC at 409-984-6530 for more information.

The Symposium includes morning and afternoon breakout sessions with topics including:

• Small Business TOOL BOX Ready Disaster Planning
• How to Do Business with Government entities (presented by the Procurement Technical Assistance Center – PTAC)
• How to Secure SBA Guaranteed Loans – presented by the Small Business Administration (SBA)
• Business Plan Basics, Cybersecurity for Small Businesses
• Insurance Requirements for Small Businesses
• Marketing 101 and many other sessions.

Some breakout sessions are being conducted in Spanish and Vietnamese.

Keynote speaker Jenn Gregory takes the stage at lunch to discusses “Retail Update: How consumer shifts have created a new playing field for small businesses and cities.”

“It’s an opportunity to find resources and assist you in developing B2B relationships,” said Dana Espinal, executive director of the SBDC at Lamar State College Port Arthur.

“We are excited to host this event to help local, small businesses develop their skills and grow their business at an affordable cost. I am thrilled we will have presentations in Spanish and Vietnamese to welcome a diverse business owners and managers.”

Local, small business owners and managers are invited to attend the symposium for a half-day or all-day sessions.

Organizations that serve small businesses such as banks, lenders and office supply companies are welcome to attend as exhibitors.

“The SBDC would like to thank the keynote lunch sponsor: Motiva Enterprises and Golden Pass LNG for their continued support of LSCPA SBDDC,” Espinal said.

The Lamar State College Port Arthur Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a business advising and training center of the University of Houston Texas Gulf Coast SBDC Network serving 32 counties in Southeast Texas. The SBDC program is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.