6th Annual Small Business Forum to be held June 5
May 13, 2019
Small business owners and managers throughout the region will want to block a half-day on Wednesday, June 5, for the sixth annual Small Business Forum to be held in Brenham at the Washington County Fairgrounds Event Center from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sponsored by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Brenham National Bank and Citizens State Bank, this annual forum provides a local opportunity to gain leading-edge knowledge and professional contacts to help businesses thrive.
It is being co-hosted by the Washington County, Navasota-Grimes County and Burleson County chambers. Attendees will hear from several powerful speakers who have been recruited by these three chambers.
The morning forum speakers will be Matt Prochaska, President and CEO of Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation. He has a team approach to economic development and loves the Brazos Valley. Matt joined the BVEDC with over 25 years of experience in various leadership positions in industry and economic development.
Next will be Mr. John Romero, Program Manager for the Cyber Readiness Center (CRC) of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and Assistant Director for the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center (TAMC2). John holds a BS in Computer Science from Texas A&M University with a minor in Geographic Information Systems and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force as an Electronic Warfare System Specialist and Disaster Preparedness Instructor.
After a short break, Mark Winchester, Deputy District Director for the Houston District Office of the U.S Small Business Administration, will speak about Disaster Preparedness. He been with the SBA for eight years. Before joining SBA, Mr. Winchester worked for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) for nearly eight years. During that time period Mr. Winchester worked for the Women’s Business Center (WBC), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Veteran’s Business Outreach Center (VBOC) and the Rio South Texas Regional Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Winchester was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer for a non-profit in the area of housing and economic development. Mark has also worked for several insurance companies and was exposed to complex litigation, risk management, and underwriting. He has also worked for the State of Connecticut Attorney General’s Office as well as U.S. Navy Submarine Force.
Ashley Freeman spoke at the Small Business Forum in 2017 on cultivating the next generation. This year she will give an overview of the 2019 Global Family Business Survey. She will highlight the key findings and takeaways including what family business plan to focus on next. Ashley is a Tax Manager in the Personal Financial Services (PFS) practice in the Houston office of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Her focus and client base includes high net worth individuals, privately held companies, and large family offices. Along with tax compliance services she assists clients with estate planning matters and family business generational planning. She has assisted clients in multiple industries – from athletes and entertainers to corporate executives and professionals in the legal and medical fields. Ashley holds a B.B.A. in Accounting and a Master of Science in Taxation from Texas A&M University. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs and a licensed CPA in Texas.
The keynote speaker during the Small Business of the Year luncheon will be Dr. Nathan Bryan of Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Bryan earned his undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and his doctoral degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport where he was the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research. He pursued his post-doctoral training as a Kirschstein Fellow at Boston University School of Medicine in the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute. After a two year post-doctoral fellowship, in 2006 Dr. Bryan was recruited to join faculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston by Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D., 1998 Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology.
Dr. Bryan has been involved in nitric oxide research for the past 19 years and has made many seminal discoveries in the field. His many seminal discoveries have resulted dozens of issued US and International patents and the product technology resulting from his discoveries and inventions have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue worldwide. His discoveries and patents are some of the most successful in the history of the University of Texas System.
The title of his keynote lecture is: “How Not to Die From Cardiovascular Disease: My Story of Discoveries and Life Lessons Learned Along The Journey.”
The highlight of the event will be the presentation of the Small Business of the Year Awards for 2019. Last year, the 2018 honor was awarded to Bliss Candy Co. and South Texas Tack. The 2017 winners were Independence Coffee Co. and Del Sol Food Co. In 2016 the winners were Kwik Kopy Business Center and Glasco & Company Landscaping. The 2015 winner was Home Sweet Farm Market & Biergarten, and in 2014 Brenham National Bank and RE/MAX Advantage were the winners.
This year, Tee Dippel of Brenham National Bank will serve as the MC.
Tickets to the Small Business Forum are $49 for Chamber Members and $59 for non-members until May 31. Corporate Sponsor tables are available for $499, which includes tickets for 8 guests plus your company name displayed at the event, online and on the printed program. Individual tickets and tables can be purchased online at www.BrenhamTexas.com/pages/SmallBusinessForum.
Doors will open at 8 a.m. so that attendees can visit various exhibitors. A delicious buffet lunch is included, and the forum will conclude by 1:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact the Chamber at (979) 836-3695 or events@brenhamtexas.com.
Sponsored by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Brenham National Bank and Citizens State Bank, this annual forum provides a local opportunity to gain leading-edge knowledge and professional contacts to help businesses thrive.
It is being co-hosted by the Washington County, Navasota-Grimes County and Burleson County chambers. Attendees will hear from several powerful speakers who have been recruited by these three chambers.
The morning forum speakers will be Matt Prochaska, President and CEO of Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation. He has a team approach to economic development and loves the Brazos Valley. Matt joined the BVEDC with over 25 years of experience in various leadership positions in industry and economic development.
Next will be Mr. John Romero, Program Manager for the Cyber Readiness Center (CRC) of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and Assistant Director for the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center (TAMC2). John holds a BS in Computer Science from Texas A&M University with a minor in Geographic Information Systems and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force as an Electronic Warfare System Specialist and Disaster Preparedness Instructor.
After a short break, Mark Winchester, Deputy District Director for the Houston District Office of the U.S Small Business Administration, will speak about Disaster Preparedness. He been with the SBA for eight years. Before joining SBA, Mr. Winchester worked for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) for nearly eight years. During that time period Mr. Winchester worked for the Women’s Business Center (WBC), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Veteran’s Business Outreach Center (VBOC) and the Rio South Texas Regional Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Winchester was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer for a non-profit in the area of housing and economic development. Mark has also worked for several insurance companies and was exposed to complex litigation, risk management, and underwriting. He has also worked for the State of Connecticut Attorney General’s Office as well as U.S. Navy Submarine Force.
Ashley Freeman spoke at the Small Business Forum in 2017 on cultivating the next generation. This year she will give an overview of the 2019 Global Family Business Survey. She will highlight the key findings and takeaways including what family business plan to focus on next. Ashley is a Tax Manager in the Personal Financial Services (PFS) practice in the Houston office of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Her focus and client base includes high net worth individuals, privately held companies, and large family offices. Along with tax compliance services she assists clients with estate planning matters and family business generational planning. She has assisted clients in multiple industries – from athletes and entertainers to corporate executives and professionals in the legal and medical fields. Ashley holds a B.B.A. in Accounting and a Master of Science in Taxation from Texas A&M University. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs and a licensed CPA in Texas.
The keynote speaker during the Small Business of the Year luncheon will be Dr. Nathan Bryan of Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Bryan earned his undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and his doctoral degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport where he was the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research. He pursued his post-doctoral training as a Kirschstein Fellow at Boston University School of Medicine in the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute. After a two year post-doctoral fellowship, in 2006 Dr. Bryan was recruited to join faculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston by Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D., 1998 Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology.
Dr. Bryan has been involved in nitric oxide research for the past 19 years and has made many seminal discoveries in the field. His many seminal discoveries have resulted dozens of issued US and International patents and the product technology resulting from his discoveries and inventions have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue worldwide. His discoveries and patents are some of the most successful in the history of the University of Texas System.
The title of his keynote lecture is: “How Not to Die From Cardiovascular Disease: My Story of Discoveries and Life Lessons Learned Along The Journey.”
The highlight of the event will be the presentation of the Small Business of the Year Awards for 2019. Last year, the 2018 honor was awarded to Bliss Candy Co. and South Texas Tack. The 2017 winners were Independence Coffee Co. and Del Sol Food Co. In 2016 the winners were Kwik Kopy Business Center and Glasco & Company Landscaping. The 2015 winner was Home Sweet Farm Market & Biergarten, and in 2014 Brenham National Bank and RE/MAX Advantage were the winners.
This year, Tee Dippel of Brenham National Bank will serve as the MC.
Tickets to the Small Business Forum are $49 for Chamber Members and $59 for non-members until May 31. Corporate Sponsor tables are available for $499, which includes tickets for 8 guests plus your company name displayed at the event, online and on the printed program. Individual tickets and tables can be purchased online at www.BrenhamTexas.com/pages/SmallBusinessForum.
Doors will open at 8 a.m. so that attendees can visit various exhibitors. A delicious buffet lunch is included, and the forum will conclude by 1:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact the Chamber at (979) 836-3695 or events@brenhamtexas.com.
Contact:
Shae Janner, Business Programs Manager
shae@brenhamtexas.com, 979-836-3695
