7th Annual San Francisco Small Business Week Runs May 16 – 21
with Theme of “Partnering for Prosperity”
SF Mayor Edwin M. Lee to Speak at Flavors of San Francisco Along with Small Business Administration Director Mark Quinn
www.sfsmallbusinessweek.com
12 April 2011 – San Francisco, CA: It takes a business to make a thriving City. In San Francisco, it takes more than 85,000 of them. From May 16 – 21, San Francisco Small Business Week (www.sfsmallbusinessweek.com) celebrates its seventh year of honoring and supporting those job creators that make vital the City’s economy. Centered around dozens of seminars, networking opportunities and sharing of business best practices, the Week will feature a keynote by San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee and a presentation by Small Business Administration Director Mark Quinn at the kick-off Gala, Flavors of San Francisco.
“A strong community starts with a strong economy,” said Michael Billeci, President, San Francisco Bay Region for Wells Fargo Bank, chief sponsor of the event for the seventh year in a row. “It’s not easy to start or maintain a successful business. Small Business Week is an excellent resource for both business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.”
A partnership that honors and supports San Francisco’s small businesses, the Week centers around a series of educational and networking events that inspire, educate and connect the business community. A small business is defined as any with 500 or less employees. With special events happening in every part of the City, most of the Week’s educational offerings take place at the downtown campus of SF State University at the Westfield Center on Market Street between 4th & 5th Streets. San Francisco Small Business Week is presented by Wells Fargo, produced in partnership with the Small Business Administration, The San Francisco Mayor’s Office, The Small Business Commission, The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, SFentrprenuer and the Golden Gate Business Association.
“Small businesses make up 98% of all businesses in the City,” said Mayor Lee in a letter of welcome to the Week’s participants. “San Francisco takes great pride in being home to a vibrant community of small and new startup businesses – the dreamers and doers who really add richness to our city. Despite facing economic challenges, San Francisco, with its metropolitan setting and world-class culture, continues to be an ideal location for startup business ventures because we recognize the small business sector as being the backbone of San Francisco’s economic landscape.”
Mayor Lee noted that San Francisco continues to serve the interests of small business thorough the Neighborhood and Commercial District Revitalization programs and streamlining the permitting process to start a mobile food business. Last year nearly 600 small businesses hired 1207 employees through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s JOBS NOW program. This year the City has created the JOBS NOW2 that provides a $5000 wage subsidy and continues to provide much needed capital through the Mayor’s Revolving Loan Fund and the Central Market Partnership program.
Below is an overview of events comprising San Francisco Small Business Week.
Monday, May 16
Flavors of San Francisco – The gala kick-off to San Francisco Small Business Week. Free to all registrants, Flavors of San Francisco provides an opportunity to meet and mingle with more than 1,000 small business owners and community leaders while savoring food from San Francisco’s local restaurateurs. We will present several SBA Small Business Awards to local businesses.
Tuesday, May 17
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Small Business Award Ceremony –The Small Business Commission will team up with the Mayor and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to honor and recognize an exceptional small business from each of San Francisco’s 11 districts and citywide.
Mega Make Contact – The Golden Gate Business Association and Merchants of Upper Market and Castro host this networking event celebrating the impact of the LGBT business community. Members of the one of the premier networking groups in the San Francisco Bay Area will gather and sample some of the City’s top food and wine.
Wednesday, May 18
Small Business Conference – This free daylong conference brings together more than 30 workshops and seminars designed specifically for small business owners. Topics include finance, green business, marketing, technology, social media, manufacturing, procurement and more. Most sessions will be held at San Francisco State University’s Downtown Campus in Westfield Center. Other popular sessions will also be presented in neighborhoods throughout the city. For a detailed list of events, go to www.sfsmallbusinessweek.com
Saturday, May 21
Shop Your Neighborhood – SF Small Business Week takes to the streets to discover out what makes the City such a unique and vibrant community of commerce. All across town Merchant Associations will create a once a year shopping experience that includes in-store demonstrations, discounts and sidewalk sales.
Ongoing throughout the entire month of May.
Merchant Association Mixers – Local Merchant Associations, in partnership with San Francisco Small Business Week, will connect small business owners and celebrate the uniqueness of their own neighborhood.
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