LEN of SE WI Hosts Small Business Conference Event Helping Over 100 Local Entrepreneurs

May 18, 2012 - PRLog -- The Latino Entrepreneurial Network (LEN) of SE WI recently hosted a Small Business Conference with the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute (MEI) on April 12 and 13, 2012 in Milwaukee, WI. This event helped over 100 Wisconsin ethnically diverse entrepreneurs learn about tangible business opportunities and how to capitalize on local small business initiatives.  The two day event started with the Grand Reception at Milwaukee’s Italian Community Center along with an Entrepreneurial Fair. The event featured keynote speaker Mr. Wyman Winston, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority that spoke on economic recovery for business owners in Wisconsin. “Mr. Winston has been a key proponent of business development practices that foster entrepreneurship and economic development in the state of Wisconsin”, stated Nelson Soler, Founding Executive Director.

One of the primary focuses of this conference was to help Wisconsin entrepreneurs learn how to share opportunities with other entrepreneurs and help them to connect with corporate, public and the nonprofit sectors.  Various concurrent seminars were held as well, including a presentation regarding the changing economic conditions for small businesses, which was given by Adrian Velazquez, President of Fi-Med Consulting. Adrian also offered a lot of first hand knowledge of his past experiences with the audience. “Adrian was a very dynamic speaker that offered a lot of true value to the entrepreneurs through sharing his successes and failures throughout his career and how to apply them to the bright futures of our member entrepreneurs”, said Cameron Whyte, LEN Board Member.

Topics of discussion included:
• Nontraditional Lending
• Strategies for Business Growth
• Strategies for Effectively Recruiting and Retaining Talent
• Incentive Programs for Hiring

“This event helped our members learn how to deal with the present economic conditions and provided small business owners information on strategic business practices, innovation, cost control maintenance, strategic marketing and great networking”  stated Christopher Castillo, President, LEN and founding Board Member.

The event was sponsored by PNC Bank, US Bank, Milwaukee Metro Sewage District, Educators Credit Union, the Wal-Mart Foundation, the Helen Bader Foundation and the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute (MEI).

The Latino Entrepreneurial Network (LEN) of SE Wisconsin has been leading the way for culturally relevant training for businesses in Wisconsin and provides event in both English and Spanish to help our local emerging markets grow.  LEN was also recently recognized by the United Stated Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) for the first ever bilingual Green Business Initiative in the Midwest and was selected as the UHSCC’s 2010 Small Chamber of the Year.

About LEN

LEN’s mission is to bridge individuals, entrepreneurs and microenterprises with resources through strategic alliance formation, networking and sharing of business and financial practices. All members take a pledge to uphold the organization’s values of acting with integrity, maintaining high ethics, sharing knowledge, investing in our community and fostering professionalism.  

LEN was recently awarded the 2010 Best Small Chamber in the United States and the 2008-2009 Best Small Chamber of the Midwest by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) located in Washington DC.

Please visit: http://www.lenwi.org