Continuing County Executive Robert Astorino's successful year-long series of small business workshops, roughly two hundred business owners and job seekers gathered today for the inaugural Connections for Success: Small Business and Job Seeker Summit.

Business owners learned how to gain access to the "3 C's" that can make their business a success -- Customers, Capital and Contracts, while job seekers gained the inside track on available opportunities within the county.

"Providing our job creators with the resources they need to succeed is one way we put our job-seeking residents back to work," said Astorino. "County government doesn't create jobs, but we are working hard in Westchester to create the environment to make businesses successful."
The all-day event, which was held at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, featured an inspiring keynote address by "rags to riches" business leader Lowell Hawthorne, president and CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill.

Mr. Hawthorne gave a rousing and inspiring address that had the audience on their feet.

"Golden Krust's success did not come overnight and yours won't either. Success belongs to no one. It is there to be had by anyone that works hard. Your success comes with one name only ...that's yours." He said that in order to succeed in business you must be prepared to take risks. "Risks not taken are opportunities missed," he said. "Be inspired by our own success stories. Go forth and get your share of success. You can do it!"

A resident of Greenburgh, Mr. Hawthorne immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica and with no business experience, pooled money from family members to launch Golden Krust in 1989. Today, his Bronx-based company has more than 125 locations in nearly a dozen states, grossing more than $100 million in annual sales.

"I came to this event today to meet with county commissioners and build relationships for my new construction services company and that's exactly what I did," said Nelida Rodriguez Zavala, owner of Zemi Construction and Real Estate Services. "I was inspired to start my business after attending County Executive Astorino's Hispanic Small Business forum this spring. I'm now a registered MWBE with the county and one of the few woman-owned construction services companies in the Hudson Valley."

The program included panel discussions and breakout sessions with leading business experts; networking opportunities with representatives from organizations looking to hire or to contract with small businesses; and an exhibitor mall featuring dozens of business-support services and resources.

Speakers included Wiley Harrison, president of Business of Your Business, who explained how small businesses are the key to the local economy's recovery and that when viewed collectively, small businesses are as important as large corporations.

One panel discussion helped business owners learn how to connect to contract opportunities and explained which goods and services are currently in demand and how to submit a bid. The panel included executives from IBM, Con Edison, MasterCard, The New NY Bridge, the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency and the U.S. General Services Administration.

For Chris Edwards, who owns a start-up marketing company in the metropolitan area, the program was a great way to network, meet potential clients and learn the ins-and-outs of working with government and large corporations.
"Coming here today has helped me to learn what preparation I need to do and what steps I need to take to get the big contracts," Edwards said. "There are a lot of people here and these types of events are great."

For job seekers looking to learn which companies are hiring and what skills and qualifications are in demand, another panel discussion featured executives from WESTMED Medical Group, Concorde Personnel Temporary Staffing, Nonprofit Westchester, Westchester County, Hudson Valley Regional Council and Greater Hudson Bank.

Timothy Kensing, an information technology professional who worked with IBM for 26 years, attended the event to expand his professional network and to seek job opportunities. Making contacts at large corporations such as Con Edison and MasterCard as well as with small business owners is invaluable, he said.

"I'm getting some really good insight and I'm learning a lot about small businesses," Kensing said during the event. "I'm learning about opportunities with both large and small companies."

The Connections for Success: Small Business and Job Seeker Summit was sponsored by the Office of County Executive Robert P. Astorino and the Westchester County African American Advisory Board, in partnership with The Business Council of Westchester and numerous business service providers.

"All of the participants walked away with a set of strategies and methods that they could apply to their job search or their business development," said Barbara Edwards, chair of the Westchester County African American Advisory Board and co-sponsor of the event. "We received great feedback. The participants have already asked us if we're doing this next year."

Connections for Success: Small Business and Job Seeker Summit was the sixth program over the last year held under the direction of County Executive Astorino to help small businesses grow and create new jobs in Westchester. The previous five seminars were held in Yonkers, White Plains, Mount Vernon, Peekskill and New Rochelle.

The programs are unique in that they featured panels of successful business owners from the cities where the programs were held. The County Office of Economic Development has reached out to hundreds of minority and women owned businesses as a result of the success of the programs.

Photo caption: From left, Donovan Beckford, Director, Office of Workforce Investment Westchester-Putnam WIB: William Mooney, Director, County Office of Economic Development; Britta Vander Linden, Communications Specialist, Office of the County Executive; Barbara Edwards, Chair, African American Advisory Board; Jim Coleman, Executive Director, Westchester Industrial Development Agency; Keynote Speaker Lowell Hawthorne, President and CEO, Golden Krust Corporation, and Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett.