UA’s Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network to Offer Workshop to Affiliates

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The gospel of business entrepreneurship will be the message of the day as field partners and University of Alabama outreach specialists meet Friday, April 8, in the Bruno Business Library Electronic Classroom for a training workshop.

The Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network (AERN) is offering the training to its partners from AERN centers in Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Sumter and Wilcox counties.

Annette Watters, project manager for the Center for Business and Economic Research in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, said the workshop will equip the partners with the latest techniques for identifying and solving business problems.

After registration, which starts at 10:15 a.m., Paul Brothers and Todd Hines, business librarians, will cover AERN’s core book collection, made available to AERN centers through grant funds. They will give tips for writing effective business plans, share examples and practices of successful businesses, cover basic tax and bookkeeping principles and explain how to find and apply for loans and grants.

They will also discuss Internet resources available through the AERN Web site (http://aern.cba.ua.edu). They will go over two primary databases available for business entrepreneurs, the “Business Source Premier” (EBSCO) and “Business and Company Resource Center” (Gale), as well as show how to use the Web for general and specific business information available in trade publications on the Web.

From 11:30 until noon, Watters will distribute new reference books for the centers and provide background information on AERN.

At lunch, Dr. Edward Mullins, professor of journalism, will informally discuss principles of successful public relations and community participation campaigns.

At 1 p.m., Paavo Hanninen, director of the UA Small Business Development Center, will conduct a primer in how to use the new books the trainees will be taking home with them, including National Trade and Professional Associations, The Franchise Annual 2005, 101 Best Businesses to Start, and How to Write a Business Plan.

The workshop gives the visitors a chance to visit the UA campus and see and learn first hand from resources that are also available to them, planners said.