Small Business Forum Confirms Senator Shaheen as Speaker

Senator Jeanne Shaheen will be the keynote speaker at the first annual Small Business Week Forum hosted by Mayor Ted Gatsas and Manchester's Economic Development Office. The kick-off event will be held on Monday, May 16 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Southern New Hampshire University. The Forum will also feature a panel discussion on financing options for small businesses, followed by a Small Business Resource Fair. Manchester's Small Business Week is presented by Citizens Bank. As a past Governor and current Senator, Jeanne Shaheen understands the important role small businesses play in both Manchester's and the State's economy. Innovative small businesses are the drivers of job creation in Manchester, in New Hampshire, and across the nation, said Senator Shaheen. Their creativity and ingenuity are important keys to America's future economic prosperity and international competitiveness. During the event, Senator Shaheen will discuss how she and her colleagues in Washington are working to help small businesses grow and prosper in New Hampshire. This week-long event celebrates the contributions small businesses make to our city's economic vitality, and will provide business owners with resources to help them succeed, said Chris Wellington, City of Manchester, Economic Development Office. If you own your own business, or are thinking of starting one in Manchester, this is a great opportunity to network and learn. The Small Business Week Forum's panel will include Kimberly Dee, senior vice president, business banking group at Citizens Bank; John Hamilton, vice president of economic opportunity and managing director, Vested for Growth at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund; Marilyn Bogue, acting district director at the NH Small Business Administration; and Robert Schwartz Jr., a corporate attorney with Devine Millimet. Other programming events of Small Business Week include small business workshops at Devine Millimet and FairPoint Communications, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Pecha Kucha; a tour of downtown office space by Intown Manchester; New Hampshire High Technology Manchester Economic Development Office.