It's called entrepreneurial spirit, the driving motivation behind a successful business. That spirit will be on display in a variety of forms at the first Hancock County Business Conference and Trade Show this November 1 and 2, 2012 at the Ramada Inn in Ellsworth, Maine. Recently designated A Governor’s Regional Conference on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, the conference is being organized by a coalition of public and private organizations, under the leadership of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Bangor Savings Bank is the primary sponsor of the conference.

“Small businesses are the backbone of Maine’s economy, and it is critical that we help these entrepreneurs get access to the resources out there,” said Governor LePage. “I am dedicated to working with our small businesses and partnering with the private sector to help these businesses succeed, expand, and provide good jobs for Mainers.”

Hancock County has over 8,000 small businesses. Nearly 80% employ fewer than twenty employees. “To grow Maine’s economy it is critical that small businesses have access to cost-effective, high quality training and information” notes Louis V. Bassano, extension professor with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The overall goal of the conference is to provide opportunities for success for Hancock County’s prospective and current small and micro-business owners.

“Small businesses are important contributors to economic growth. Economies with a high percentage of small and micro-businesses generally have higher growth rates,” says Jim McConnon, a Cooperative Extension business and economics specialist and UMaine professor of economics. “Small businesses, even very small businesses, contribute in total the most to create jobs.”

The two-day event begins Thursday evening with a Business After Hours hosted by the Hancock County Chambers of Commerce. Governor Paul LePage will kick off by Friday’s program with opening remarks at a continental breakfast. In addition to a keynote lunch speaker the conference will feature business management workshops and opportunities for business owners and managers to talk with other business people and public and private sector resource providers.

Additional information about the conference is available from Louis V. Bassano, University of Maine Cooperative Extension office in 800-287-1542. Registration is available online at www.hancockbiz.org. The Hancock County Business Conference and Trade Show are funded, in part, by a grant from the Maine Community Foundation through the Robert N. Haskell & Gladys M. Stetson fund.

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