SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES CENTER FOR
ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO FUEL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH BAY

Sonoma State University wants to encourage new business development in the San Francisco North Bay region
with its recently established Entrepreneurship Center, aimed at helping aspiring businesspeople and students.

Sonoma State University wants to encourage new business development in
the North Bay region with its recently established Entrepreneurship Center,
aimed to help aspiring businesspersons and students.
    "The SSU Entrepreneurship Center will be a place to nurture and mentor
start-ups as well as to help high growth businesses avoid burn-out," says
the Director, Armand Gilinsky, Ph.D., and also an associate professor at the
university.
    "This is a community outreach program that will extend well beyond the
university," he explains. Programs include monthly breakfast briefings for
small and family-owned businesses, a four-day Entrepreneur Training Course,
and an Entrepreneurship Award Dinner.
    The monthly Breakfast Briefings series will begin Friday, Jan. 25,
8:30-10 a.m., at the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center on campus.
     "This will be an excellent opportunity for local business leaders to
learn about current trends in the market while also establishing valuable
networking opportunities," says Dr. Gilinsky. The first seminar, "Managing
In Tough Times," will be presented by Claire Calderon, Robert Dellenbach and
Jean Hackenburg of the Telecom Valley Alliance.
    The speakers will focus on how companies should recognize changes that
affect their businesses before they become catastrophic. Registration costs
are $25 per person and can be reserved through the Center, or in person on
the day of the seminar.
    The four-day residential Entrepreneurial Excellence Course is planned
for November at Sonoma State University. Participants will be entrepreneurs
seeking to "fine-tune their business plans" and take their companies to the
next level.
    Participants will leave with a full appreciation of effective business
planning as well as a network of valuable contacts. Two of the evening
programs will include "Angel" meetings in which the participants are going
to watch businesses present their plans to the North Bay Angels, a Capital
Investment group, and a panel comprising ventures that received funds and
their funders.
     "The course is conceived as applied entrepreneurship--students will
learn by doing," says Gilinsky. "Instructors will be a blend of leading
business school faculty from around the nation and successful entrepreneurs
from our region."
    On June 20, the Center will hold the North Bay Lifetime Entrepreneur
(NOBLE) Award ceremony to celebrate the success of our local entrepreneurs.
    In the coming years, the Center will create a business incubator to
service students and alumni by providing shared access to office space,
technology infastructure, service providers and mentors.
    The Entrepreneurship Centers initial advisory board consists of local
entrepreneurs and business leaders who will meet four times a year.
    Board members include: Cathy Cook, an independent public relations
consultant, Russ Kennedy of the North Bay Angels, Lisa Mahaney of Silicon
Valley Bank, Lynda Sadler of Traditional Medicinals, Tux Tuxhorn of Tuxhorn
and Company, and David Whitney of GrowthTech Partners. The Exchange Bank has
agreed to sponsor the Entrepreneurship Center. Other sponsors will be named
soon.
    For more information about the Centers programs, call (707) 664-2387.

-SSU-