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For further information or to find out how the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College can assist you please contact:

Capital Readiness Tour

Thursday ~ May 16, 2013

3:00 - 5:00 pm

Dallons Hall

Cuesta College North County Campus · Building N3100; Room N3102

The BEC will be partnering with the following lenders: Heritage Oaks Bank, Founders Community Bank, Coast Hills Federal Credit Union, Rabobank, and Valley Economic Development Corporation. We will also partner with the USDA.

Please share this event with other business contacts and help the BEC identify Ag businesses and/or other small business owners who are in need of funding. Please contact our office if you have any questions. 

If you are interested in attending this exciting event, please register in advance by clicking on the following link http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5356950784/eorg

Cuesta College Campus Maps

Parking is $2.00; a one-day parking permit may be purchased in any lot from a Parking Permit Machine ~ street parking requires a Cuesta College parking permit and please do not park in spaces marked for staff

Workshops in Partnership With Area Chambers of Commerce's

~ Past BEC Events ~

This 6th semi-annual competition showcased the top five (5) Marketing Plans & Advertising Plans from Andrew Carter & Amy Stapp's Marketing classes and the top five (5) Sales Proposals from Christine Beyer's Sales class. Team Presentations were conducted before a panel of five (5) judges in each category and completed within five (5) minutes. Cash awards were presented to the top three (3) winners in each category.

The spirit of American entrepreneurism is alive and well, and took San Luis Obispo's youth and young adults by storm. The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour - the first ever collegiate entrepreneur tour - visited the Cuesta College campus for its 4th annual Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour. Cuesta College is committed to helping both its students and members of the community succeed in the changing economy. The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour (EET), http://www.extremetour.org/, brings the country’s top young entrepreneurs to college campuses to spread the entrepreneurial mindset during the two hour event. Launched at ten schools in fall 2006, the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour has been held at over 500 schools nationally. Tour speakers are in their twenties, come from different backgrounds, and have had amazing accomplishments such as being a bestselling author, producing movies with famous actors such as Dustin Hoffman, Vince Vaughn and Christina Ricci, having a company with over 300 employees, having over $3,000,000 million in revenue and making a huge difference in the world.

During this event, attendees were exposed to inspiring entrepreneurial stories, were able to ask any questions they wanted to, and planned out their own dream and how they can take action on it. This event provided inspiration and practical advice. Both emerging entrepreneurs and students of all disciplines learned how they could apply the entrepreneurial mindset to their lives regardless of career choice.

This seminar presented the business side of music and provided the skills and knowledge to move your music career forward. It covered the legal and financial issues affecting songwriting, recording, touring, how to market yourself & your music and the range of DIY (Do It Yourself) tools available. Attendees also learned about the players who influence your success and how to interact with them. The target audience was local area and Cuesta College musicians (inclusive of students, faculty and staff.

In partnership with Rabobank, N.A. and the City of Atascadero, the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College hosted a Business Success Workshop. This event was open to the public and was offered at no charge.

3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping Seminar - June 18, 2012 ~ Ventura

This seminar covered the physical models that are the most important tools in developing a product. Too often the task of building those prototypes can be a challenge unto itself, distracting you from your original technology development mission. Advances in 3D printing and other rapid prototyping technologies (i.e., PolyJet™ high precision 3D printing, Stereolithography (SLA) models and patterns, HDSL (High Definition Stereolithography), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Direct Digital Manufacturing, CNC models and patterns) provides the inventor or specialized manufacturer with the tools and knowledge needed to rapidly advance prototype development today.

This 5th semi-annual competition showcased the top five (5) Feasibility Plans from Gary Rubin's Entrepreneurship class, top five (5) Marketing Plans from Andrew Carter's Marketing class and top five (5) Advertising Plans from Christine Beyer's Advertising class. Team Presentations were conducted before a panel of five (5) judges in each category and completed within five (5) minutes. Cash awards were presented to the top three (3) winners in each category.

This symposium was directed to the wine industry who want to reach new international markets to sell their wines. The 87^th appellation in California is located between Santa Barbara and San Francisco. It’s been underserved in international exports for many years and has some of the best wines in California.   

Information offered to the entire appellation was a comprehensive seminar that included: 

· Business Support Services to assist the wine industry

· Banking and Finance – various international banking operations discussing details about payment collection, Export Import Bank of the U.S. credit insurance and other banking nuance

· Logistics – what is expected to ship, what type of movements are best for handling wine, what documentation will be required

· Market briefing - We will hold a video conference briefing from Hong Kong

Those wineries that were interested in exporting their product were invited to participate in a virtual wine match making event. We will assist in exporting samples of their wines to international buyers who will then participate in the virtual wine match making event.

Business Plan, Marketing Plan & Sales Proposal Competition - December 6, 2011

This 4th semi-annual competition showcased the top five (5) Business Plans from Gary Rubin & John Alexander's Small Business Management class, top five (5) Marketing Plans from Christine Beyer's Marketing Classes and top five (5) Sales Proposals and Presentations from Israel Dominguez's Sales class. Team Presentations were conducted before a panel of five (5) judges in each category and completed within five (5) minutes. Cash awards were presented to the top three (3) winners in each category.

3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping Seminar - November 8, 2011; San Luis Obispo

This seminar covered the physical models that are the most important tools in developing a product. Too often the task of building those prototypes can be a challenge unto itself, distracting you from your original technology development mission. Advances in 3D printing and other rapid prototyping technologies (i.e., PolyJet™ high precision 3D printing, Stereolithography (SLA) models and patterns, HDSL (High Definition Stereolithography), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Direct Digital Manufacturing, CNC models and patterns) provides the inventor or specialized manufacturer with the tools and knowledge needed to rapidly advance prototype development today.

Musicians as Entrepreneurs Seminar - October 14, 2011

This seminar presented the business side of music and provided the skills and knowledge to move your career forward. It covered the legal and financial issues affecting songwriting, recording, touring, how to market yourself & your music and the range of DIY (Do It Yourself) tools available. Attendees also learned about the players who influence your success and how to interact with them.

Paso Robles Energy Management Workshop - October 11, 2011

This workshop was for small and midsized businesses in the Paso Robles region and provided valuable and practical information about new time varying rates, energy saving programs, and cost management tools from Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

Emergency Preparedness & Emergency Management for Small to Large Business Workshop - September 20, 2011

This seminar provided attendees with the knowledge and understanding of the different roles each Emergency Services Agency provides before, during and after a disaster. The goal of the this workshop was to educate citizens, business (non-profit and for profit), educational institution staff and faculty and local first responders (Fire, Emergency Medical Services and Law Enforcement) about the "big picture" of disaster response organizations and how it impacts them at the local level.

Ag Seminar - August 30, 2011

The Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College along with the US Department of Commerce, USDA Farm Services Agency, USDA Office of Technology Transfer - AG Research Services, Centers for International Trade Development (CITD) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States hosted this free event targeted to Agricultural Growers, Producers, Processors, etc. Immediately following the event there was a networking reception.

Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour - March 16, 2011

The spirit of American entrepreneurism is alive and well, and took San Luis Obispo's youth and young adults by storm. The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour - the first ever collegiate entrepreneur tour - visited the Cuesta College's campus for its 3rd annual Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour. Cuesta College is committed to helping both its students and members of the community succeed in the changing economy.
 
The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour is presented by VenturePort.org and sponsored by Inc. Magazine. Founded by award-winning 27-year-olds, Michael Simmons and Sheena Lindahl of Extreme Entrepreneurship Education, the tour is comprised of many of America's top young entrepreneurs who've made, earned, or sold a company for millions and/or made a huge impact before the age of 30! The vision of the tour is for all of America's college students to graduate with an entrepreneurial mindset.
 
This event provided inspiration and practical advice to both emerging entrepreneurs and students of all disciplines and how they could apply the entrepreneurial mindset to their lives regardless of career choice. Photos of the spring 2011 Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour:  https://picasaweb.google.com/extreme.entrepreneurship/CuestaCollegeMarch162011#

The Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College is part of a statewide network funded through the California Community College's Economic and Workforce Development (CCCEWD) program. For more information about our network of partners throughout the state, go to http://www.cccewd.net/initiative_business_entrepreneurship.cfm