The 2014 Delaware Small Business Summit,slated for Nov. 18 at Dover Downs in Dover, will focus on new opportunities coming out of an executive order. The half-day program begins at 7:30 a.m.
The event will focus on Executive Order #44 signed by Gov. Jack Markell. The program increases access to state procurement opportunities for small businesses and promotes transparency and opportunities for a broader range of small businesses in Delaware, according to a release. The program also ensures representation for businesspeople with disabilities
“Delaware’s small business sector is crucial to our economy, and we need to do all that we can to make sure that all entrepreneurs have a chance to turn their great ideas into successful companies,” Markell said. “Across the country, many people with disabilities have not been given the opportunities to build successful careers despite their considerable talents. Our supplier diversity efforts can help ensure they are fairly considered to work with the state. And their success will not only be important to their futures, but also to the future of our state.”
Markell will be the keynote speaker at the 2014 Small Business Summit, which will include two panel discussions: One, will feature w state small business leaders, and a second will describe the state’s initiatives towards entrepreneurship and business ownership for individuals with disabilities throughout Delaware.
The summit will also feature a presentation on the details of the Small Business Focus Program by the Office of Supplier Diversity.
“The Delaware Small Business Summit will reveal new opportunities created by the Small Business Focus Program for individuals with disabilities and smaller businesses throughout the state,” said Ken Anderson, Director for Entrepreneurial and Small Business Support for the Delaware Economic Development Office and Chair of the Governor’s Supplier Diversity Council. “This program will not dilute opportunities from qualified, traditional supplier diversity constituents, but will now include more small businesses that have previously been excluded from the state’s supplier diversity community.”
“Delaware’s small business community includes an abundance of high-quality companies, brilliant entrepreneurs and long-standing pillars of our community. To exclude anyone of these entities or individuals would be a disservice not only to them but also to our state,” said Alan Levin, director of the Delaware Economic Development Office. “This executive order and the accompanying programs created by it are not just about leveling the playing field; it’s about making sure that every business has a chance to compete.”
To register, visit www.dedo.delaware.gov/smallbusiness.
