Monday, September 26, 2022

The Cape Fear Region Minority Enterprise Development Week is returning for its eighth year, offering 30 programs to support minority entrepreneurs. The conference is slated for Oct. 3-7 and will offer free in-person and virtual seminars and workshops.

The weeklong event features various workshops, including successful business planning, startup tips, financial health and wellness, and marketing. There are also sessions for Latinx business leaders and entrepreneurs, with some presentations in Spanish.

Several UNCW faculty and staff will share insight about design and construction at UNCW and social entrepreneurship.

“Our ‘Social Entrepreneurship Panel: Growing Your Business and Your Society’ panel is about creating and operating businesses in an impactful way,” said Heather McWhorter, director of UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “People are drawn to entrepreneurship for different reasons. Not everyone wants to make money from it. This panel will discuss social entrepreneurship – doing good while doing well. Hopefully, it will give participants the spark to start their business or enhance their business for the social good. We will be providing some tools for participants to get started.”

The social entrepreneurship session will feature McWhorter; Dr. Karl Ricanek, computer science professor, I3S Institute & Face Aging Group director and co-founder of Lapetus Solutions, Inc.; and Dr. Chris Prentice, associate professor of public administration. Dr. Jess Boersma, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and I3S associate director, will serve as the moderator.

The “Design and Construction at UNC Wilmington” session will educate individuals about the types of projects on campus and how the university contracts with firms.  UNCW Facilities staff members Harry Eason, Historically Underutilized Business program support coordinator; Tom McCarley, director of project management; and Rachel Patrick, director of architectural and construction services, will lead the session.

The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce is presenting the Cape Fear MED Week Conference. In 2015, UNCW hosted the first Cape Fear Region MED Week to recognize the impact of minority businesses and help level the playing field by providing guidance, networking and business development opportunities. The university remains committed to using programs and resources to enhance relationships and broaden collaborative efforts to grow minority businesses in the southeast North Carolina region.

Cape Fear Region MED Week is part of the national observance of Minority Enterprise Development Week, created by a presidential proclamation in 1983. Registration is open and early sign-up is encouraged. Visit the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce website for the full program schedule and registration details. The event is open to the public.

-- Venita Jenkins