PROVIDENCE – Speakers at the Oct. 3 kickoff meeting for the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition will include Stephen Lane, CEO and co-founder of Item Group, and the winners of the 2007 competition, contest organizers said today.
The kickoff will run from 5 to 7 p.m. next Wednesday at the Culinary Archives and Museum, on the Harborside Campus of Johnson & Wales University, where free parking is available. Admission is free, but advance registration is required.
Hosting the evening will be competition Co-Chair Charles Kingdon, associate vice president of technology partnerships at Brown University. Also speaking – aside from Lane, whose talk is entitled “From Business Plan to Profits” – will be Michael Glier, CEO and co-founder of Campus Guardian and the contest’s 2007 entrepreneur winner; and Brad Weinberg, co-founder of Providence Health Solutions and the 2007 student winner.
Their presentations will be followed by a general networking session.
The event is intended to both introduce the 2008 competition and assist prospective contestants, who this year will be competing for $150,000 in prizes. (READ MORE)
In other news, organizers said, three more local companies have agreed to support this year’s competition, bringing the number of sponsors to 28. The new sponsors – all based in Providence – are Citizens Bank of Rhode Island, a division of Citizens Financial Group; Lane’s Item Group; and Software Quality Associates (SQA).
Also sponsoring the 2008 contest are the Brown Forum for Enterprise, Bryant University, the Business Development Company of Rhode Island, Cherrystone Angel Group, CVS Caremark, The Employers Association, Federal Electronics Inc., the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Heartlab, Johnson & Wales University, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), Point Judith Capital, the Providence Business News, RDW Group, Salve Regina University, Smith Barney, Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. and the University of Rhode Island.
“The support for this year’s competition has been overwhelmingly positive,” said contest co-chair Garrett B. Hunter, president of the Business Development Company. “It demonstrates a strong, shared commitment to the goal of fostering development of new businesses in Rhode Island.”
To register for the 2008 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition’s kickoff event – or to find additional information on upcoming events, contest rules and guidelines, application procedures and business-planning resources – visit www.ri-bizplan.com.
