The Falcone Center of Entrepreneurship in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University will host the second annual Youth Entrepreneurs of Syracuse (YES) Conference on Nov. 21, 2009. This event, scheduled to take place at the Whitman School, will teach and inspire Central New York young adults ages 12-25 who are interested in entrepreneurship.

The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership has estimated that more than 65 percent of 14-19-year olds are interested in starting a business as compared with about half of the general public. The day combines inspirational role models, stories and advice from several young entrepreneurs who have built successful ventures and overcome challenges along the way. Students will learn helpful tips to beginning a business, hear about resources available for young people starting a business, and network with one another.

This year's conference will feature a keynote address by Michael Simmons, co-founder of Princeton WebSolutions (PWS), rated the number one youth-run web development company in the nation by Youngbiz Magazine. Simmons has won of three entrepreneur of the year awards from the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Fleet, and the National Coalition for Empowering Youth Entrepreneurship.

The day also combines inspirational stories and advice from several other entrepreneurs who have successful ventures, and informative sessions on key facets of starting and growing ventures. Youth Entrepreneurs of Syracuse will end with an ice cream social, raffle prizes, and music featuring DJ Adam Gold of WAER’s Funk Show.

“Entrepreneurship is one of the single most important factors in a dynamic and vibrant economy,” says Melvin T. Stith, dean of the Whitman School. “In today’s economy, young people’s best opportunities may very well lie in the fulfillment of their entrepreneurial dreams. The Whitman School is committed to ensuring that Central New York youth get the support they need to accomplish their goals. ”

For more information or to register, visit www.YES-Syracuse.com or contact Lindsay Wickham, Falcone Center events coordinator, at lwickham@syr.edu or (315) 443-3550. Media inquiries can be directed to Amy Schmitz, Whitman director of communications, at (315) 443-3834 or aemehrin@syr.edu.

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The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) today announces three major initiatives that will significantly expand the reach and impact of the EBV to assist in rebuilding the lives and economic potentials of U.S. veterans with disabilities. The initiatives include:

• The addition of University of Connecticut School of Business to the EBV Consortium, which also includes the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, Mays Business School at Texas A&M, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Florida State University’s College of Business, and the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University.
• A three-year $450,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Veterans Business Development to help grow the EBV nationwide and maximize the availability, applicability, and usability of small business programs for veterans, service-disabled veterans, reserve component members, and their dependents or survivors.
• With $50,000 in support from Ernst & Young, the launch of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families, a pilot program that will offer training in small business creation and management for select caregivers of veterans with disabilities.

“Since 2001, wounded U.S. soldiers have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq with fewer opportunities in the workplace; this unfortunate reality has been compounded in the last year by the recession,” says Melvin T. Stith, dean of the Whitman School of Management and a former Vietnam War-era Army captain. “The Whitman School launched the EBV in 2007 as a step towards providing these veterans with the skills and knowledge to create their own opportunities, support their families, and to re-engage the economic engines of their communities. The three initiatives announced today greatly enhance the abilities of the EBV Consortium to give back to veterans and military families who have given so much in service to our country.”

“With tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel returning home disabled from conflict, our Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans is more critical than ever,” says SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. “We’re proud SU is leading the way in integrating this type of support for veterans and their families into a national university’s mission. SU’s legacy has always been one of access and inclusion and this new SBA grant will allow this groundbreaking program to expand its efforts to serve those who have so honorably served our nation.”

The six schools that comprise the EBV Consortium each annually host up to 25 veterans with disabilities for cutting-edge training in entrepreneurship and small business management with the ultimate goal of small business creation and growth by the veteran. The veterans, who have all served post-9/11 in Afghanistan or Iraq, learn a range of business skills, including accounting, human resources, supply chain, operations, strategy, and more from world-class faculty, entrepreneurs, disability experts and business professionals. The program is entirely free, including travel and accommodations.

The EBV program is offered in three phases: a self-study session in which the veterans complete courses through online discussions moderated by university faculty; an on-campus immersion where the veterans learn to develop their own business concepts; and 12 months of ongoing support and mentorship provided to the veterans from the faculty experts at the EBV universities.

Throughout the EBV experience, students engage in experimental workshops to write business plans, raise capital, attract customers, and develop a marketing strategy that is most effective for their business model.

To create disability-related curriculum and assist participants in understanding and leveraging programs at the intersection of disability and entrepreneurship, the EBV is offered in collaboration with SU’s Burton Blatt Institute, which seeks to advances the civic, economic, and social participation of persons with disabilities.

For more information, visit www.whitman.syr.edu/ebv. Media queries can be directed to Amy Schmitz, Whitman director of communications, at (315) 443-3834 or aemehrin@syr.edu.

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