TAMIU-SBDC Sets Emergency Preparedness Biz Workshop
The Texas A&M International University Small Business Development Center (TAMIU SBDC) in conjunction with South Texas Workforce Development Board, Texas Workforce Center, Laredo Chamber of Commerce, and Commerce Bank will be hosting a Conference Wednesday, May 9, focused on protecting a business in case of disaster.
The Conference will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at TAMIU’s Western Hemispheric Trade Center (WHTC) Room 116. A $75 Conference fee includes continental breakfast and lunch. The first 50 registrants will receive Donna Childs’ book: “Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery: A Small Business Guide.”
Childs is the Conference’s featured speaker. A Manhattan-based small business owner whose business survived after the 9-11 attacks, she credits her risk management assessment and prior contingency planning as key to her ability to return her Wall Street business to operational capacity in less than a week.
Interested persons must RSVP by May 8. To register, call TAMIU SBDC at 326.2827 or 326.2550, or e-mail sbdc@tamiu.edu.
A welcoming reception will be sponsored by Commerce Bank on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00p.m. at Commerce Main Bank on Mann Road and IH 35. Everyone is welcome to attend, but must RSVP.
The Conference opens with an 8:45 a.m. presentation on surviving 9-11 and follows up with a luncheon presentation at 11:30 a.m. on protecting a business in case of disaster. In addition to Child’s presentations, the Conference will include three expert panels.
The 10 a.m. Business Continuity Panel will feature:
- Data security
- Records management
- Risk management
- Insurance industries
The 12: 45 p.m. Disaster Recovery Panel will feature representatives from:
- FEMA
- Small Business Administration
- Small Business Development Center
- OSHA
- American Red Cross
The 2:15 p.m. Emergency Management Resource Panel will feature:
- City of Laredo Emergency Management Team
- City of Laredo Health Emergency Preparedness Program
Small businesses account for 99 percent of U. S. employers, employ 50 percent of all private sector workers and provide nearly 45 percent of the nations’ payroll, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. But 40 percent of small businesses never reopen after a disaster.
For more information, call TAMIU SBDC at 326.2827 or 326.2550, or e-mail sbdc@tamiu.edu.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu