Florida SBDC Network State Office (Pensacola, Fla.) – The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, the state’s principal provider of small business assistance, hosted its third annual Small Business Success Summit August 19-20 in Ponte Vedra.
Held at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa, the sold-out Success Summit brought together over 420 small business owners, experienced Florida SBDC network consultants, partners and resource providers to share valuable information to help business owners take their business to the next level.
“The Small Business Success Summit continues to grow and improve each year,” said Greg Britton, Florida SBDC Network State Director. “This year's sold-out event was an outstanding opportunity for entrepreneurs and business owners to invest in their future. With an exceptional lineup of presenters and speakers, attendees gained invaluable insights and strategies to help them thrive in today's competitive business landscape. We are grateful to everyone who participated and made this Summit a success. We look forward to bringing even more value to our community at next year's event in Tampa, where we’ll continue fostering growth, networking, and innovation."
Allen Thomas, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Secretary J. Alex Kelly of the Florida Department of Commerce and Collin Groff, Deputy County Administrator for St. Johns County welcomed attendees. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator Rick Scott and Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis provided video welcome remarks.
The two day conference featured keynote presentations by Dr. Jerry Parrish, Chief Economist for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, David Avrin, CEO of The Customer Experience Advantage & Author, and Patric Young, former professional basketball player & motivational speaker. Attendees also participated in breakout sessions and a multitude of networking opportunities, which allowed small businesses to walk away with strategies to elevate their business.
Over 160 attendees interested in government contracting participated in the Reverse Trade Show held in conjunction with the Summit. This event provided business owners the opportunity to meet with government agencies and prime contractors to explore potential opportunities and partnerships. Attendees were able to learn more about each organization, pitch ideas, form collaborative partnerships and accelerate novel solutions and capabilities in a one-on-one environment. The Reverse Trade Show featured over 20 participating vendors including Northrop Grumman, NASA, U.S. Space Force, FDOT, DEFENSEWERX, USSOCOM, GSA and the City of Jacksonville.
The Florida SBDC Network wishes to thank its 2024 event sponsors and partners: Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, Florida Power & Light, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Valley Bank, Suncoast Credit Union, Embrace Resorts, Veterans Florida, CareerSource Florida, Florida Business Exchange, Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, Florida Economic Development Council, Square, South State Bank, FloridaMakes, Florida Trend, Prospera, St. Johns Chamber of Commerce, North Florida Economic Development Partnership, Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer and Thryv.
The network is planning its 2025 event and will announce details soon. For more information about the Summit and to sign up for 2025 updates, please visit https://floridasbdc.org/success_summit/.
For pictures from the event, please click here.
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