Speaker named for Entrepreneur Workshop

VW independent/submitted information

A speaker has been named for the upcoming Entrepreneur Workshop, which will be held at the Kenn-Feld Group, 10305 Liberty-Union Road in Van Wert, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, February 8.

The event is organized by the Van Wert Area Economic Development Office, Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Van Wert, and the Wright State University-Lake Campus Business Enterprise Center.

Speaker Simon Burrow is a “serial entrepreneur”. During a 25-year career owning small businesses, he started and operated manufacturing companies in four countries. He is a graduate of California State University at Los Angeles with a degree in finance. In 2003, he sold his last business, which primarily made components for the electronics industry, to Brady International and became a social entrepreneur working for immigrant rights.

To further the right to migrate he has produced a documentary film, created a web site, curated a traveling map exhibit on the U.S.-Mexico border, and moderates a Facebook group Rational Immigration.

He is an active investor with investments in a number of small, public technology companies. He is a frequent guest speaker at California State University, University of Southern California, Arizona State University, and other schools, where he speaks about entrepreneurship, luck, and-or immigration.

In addition to Burrow, the Entrepreneur Workshop will include local small business owners, entrepreneurs, and experts in a variety of fields, including marketing, law, financing, real estate, and insurance, to spark conversation on the topics they are passionate about.

There will also be a Business Plan Challenge, where individuals seeking to start a local business create, submit, and present a business plan to a panel of judges for the change to win business development funds. The challenge also includes business counseling sessions conducted by WSU-LC’s Business Enterprise Center.

Sponsors for the event are the Van Wert County Foundation, US Bank, and Citizens National Bank. For more information, call the Van Wert Area Economic Development Office at 419.238.2999.