U.S. Armed Forces Veterans Invited to Seek Business Financing
TAMPA (October 1, 2014) — The Florida SBDC (Small Business Development Center) at the University of South Florida will host its annual Finance Fair on Tuesday, October 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event offers an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face with bankers and local lenders.
This event is open exclusively to veterans from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will be open to the general public from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Entrepreneurs in attendance will get to meet face-to-face with local lenders from GulfCoast Business Finance, PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, Bay Cities Bank, BankUnited, Mutual of Omaha, and more.
According to the Small Business Administration, Veterans are 45% more likely to start a business than those without a military background. Florida is in the top 5 states for number of Veteran-owned businesses.
“Many Veteran entrepreneurs find it difficult to secure funding and raise capital for their ventures,” Eileen Rodriguez, Regional Director of the Florida SBDC at USF, said. “In response to this, at the local level we want to even the playing field for our Veterans and that’s why we give them advanced access to the lenders at our Finance Fair.”
Attendees will be able to personally meet bankers and discuss a range of financing options. These options include, but are not limited to small business loans, lines of credit and leasing, cash management services, wealth management, merchant services, gift cards, managing payables and payroll, and asset-based finance such as factoring. This event is an opportunity to gather information about SBA programs, including loans.
Pre-registration is required. Space is limited. Please follow the appropriate registration link below:
Veteran Registration
Non-Veteran Registration
GulfCoast Business Finance sponsors the Finance Fair. PNC Bank will provide refreshments for attendees. The Florida SBDC at USF offers no-cost business consulting and low-cost training for existing and emerging Tampa Bay region entrepreneurs.
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About the FSBDC Network
The Florida SBDC at University of South Florida is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide service network funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.