Ohio Growth Summit christens new conference center

Backed by stunning views of the Columbus skyline, a crop of more than 150 entrepreneurs came to Columbus State June 13 to find out how to get their own high-rise offices.

The entrepreneurs came for the Ohio Growth Summit, a daylong symposium on how to thrive as a small business. The summit was put on by the Small Business Development Center at Columbus State.

The forum kicked off with a nationally known keynote speaker, Susan RoAne. Known as the "Mingling Maven," she told attendees how to connect with potential business partners. Eight small group sessions covered topics such as obtaining financing, building sales and conducting viral marketing. The symposium closed with an address from Artie Isaac, president of Columbus advertising firm Young Isaac.  

"You can come in, get the information, then go out and use it," said Michael Bowers, director of the Small Business Development Center at Columbus State.

Attendees at the conference seemed ready to learn, said Michelle Card of the Edison Materials Technology Center, a Dayton-based group that assists companies that make advanced materials.

"I think there's really been something of interest for everybody," Card said.

Attendee Kristie Melnik said the conference gave her good ideas to help bring her products to market. Melnik, an Ohio State University researcher, is involved with Columbus NanoWorks Inc., a company that is developing magnetic nanoparticles to be used to help detect tumors, isolate stem cells and perform other medical applications

"We can go into the lab and make particles all day," Melnik said. "But you don't know the questions to ask when starting up a small business. You need to find those next steps."

Small group sessions were focused on real-world challenges, said Dennis Knueven, director of Nationwide Mutual Capital LLC in Columbus. In one session, attendees brainstormed ways to recruit candidates for actual open positions at their companies.

The summit was the first event to take place in the new conference center in the Center for Workforce Development, the building just completed at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Grove Street.

Keynote speeches took place in the center's main ballroom, which offers dramatic views of downtown Columbus. Smaller sessions took place in the center's breakout rooms, and conferees practiced their newfound mingling skills in the center's gallery.

Last year's summit was split between several different buildings, Bowers said, but the conference center allowed the event to happen in one convenient spot.

"This has just been a tremendous facility for what we're trying to do," Bowers said.

The center also received praise for an unexpected facet: easy parking. With students out on break, conference organizers set parking a block from the center.

"That's not bad at all for a college," Card said.

The Small Business Development Center at Columbus State offer free advice to entrepreneurs starting up small businesses, including how to incorporate a company, write a business plan, learn accounting rules and find legal representation.

The center employs seven staffers and business counselors and covers nine Central Ohio counties. It is one of several such centers in Ohio. Although founded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, it receives significant funding from the Ohio Department of Development, the city of Columbus and other local agencies.

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