Top notch panelists address the importance of Resilience and critical information for business continuity at a series of workshops sponsored by the NJSBDC network, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the USRP
 | Contact: Jody Calendar (973) 353-1927 or (732) 245-9181 |
Editor’s Note: Attached please find photo of Don Wirth with caption info
August 27, 2014 (Newark, NJ) – An impressive slate of national and state speakers will headline the first of a series of solution-based Resilience Workshops that link resilience to competitiveness; preparedness to prosperity and motivate companies and communities to think it terms of shared outcomes and collaborative solutions.
The initial workshop, “Putting the How-to in Resilience” will be held on Tuesday Sept. 16 in the Atrium of the Campus Center on the NJ Institute of Technology campus. Highlighting the speakers will be former FEMA Director R. David Paulison; Retired DuPont Executive Don Wirth; Carroll A. Thomas, Associate Administrator, the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Dr. Don Sebastian, president of the NJ Innovation Institute.
Sponsored by the SBA and the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers, Traveler’s Insurance and the New Jersey Innovation Institute in coordination with the U. S. Resilience Project(USRP), the Workshop will focus on:
- Capturing left-of- boom strategies to mitigate the impact of disruptions, irrespective of trigger
- Sharing best practices and tools to make companies resilient to volatility and uncertainty
- Leveraging resources through partnership among companies and with the public sector
According to Don Wirth, former Vice President at DuPont: “Resilience is not just about strengthening our ability to deal with disruption. “It also drives better customer service, operational excellence and productivity.”
“A lot of effort was invested in organizing this high level, knowledge packed all-day seminar,” said Brenda Hopper, NJSBDC CEO-State Director. “The topic of resilience and related best practices to prevent business operational disruptions are more important than ever and we think small business owners attending will take away a lot of valuable information they can utilize.”
“We’re encouraged that various size businesses at different levels of growth will participate in this thought provoking session,” said Deborah Smarth, NJSBDC COO-Associate State Director. “Having business leaders at all levels sharing their experiences and operating procedures in relation to market disruptions or natural disasters will provide a good framework for other small businesses to follow.
Other speakers for the Sept. 16 kick-off workshop include notables such as Edward Zazzali, PSEG Regional Manager for Large Customer Support; ; Bob Klemme, Associate Director, Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery, Verizon Wireless; Scott Humphrey, Director of Service, Travelers Insurance Company and Tracye McDaniels, president and chief operating officer, Choose NJ.
Supporting partners include Choose NJ, Newark Alliance, Newark Regional Business Partnership, NJ Climate Adaption Alliance, NJ Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Princeton Public Affairs Group, Rutgers Climate Institute and US Department of Energy.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The NJSBDC network is also funded by the State of New Jersey and is hosted by Rutgers
Business School: Newark and New Brunswick.
About America’s SBDC New Jersey (NJSBDC)
This non-profit network is a federal-state-educational partnership. Its expert staff and business practitioners help small business owners and entrepreneurs with every stage of business development and growth. The network headquarters is located at the Rutgers Business School in Newark. Its major funding partner is the U.S. Small Business Administration. The New Jersey Business Action Center is an additional funding partner of the NJSBDC program as well as other public and private grants/sponsorships. The NJSBDC network (America’s SBDC New Jersey) is an accredited member of the national network of SBDCs, with more than 1,000 centers and satellite offices throughout the country serving and assisting small businesses and saving and creating jobs across the nation. For more information, visit www.njsbdc.com.
About the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. We recognize that small business is critical to our economic recovery and strength, to building America’s future, and to helping the United States compete in today’s global marketplace. Although SBA has grown and evolved in the years since it was established in 1953, the bottom line mission remains the same. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam. For more information, visit www.sba.gov.
About the U.S. Resilience Project (USRP)
The US Resilience Project focuses on enterprise resilience solutions — capturing, sharing and deploying best practices and tools before a disruption hits. The USRP emphasizes the business rationale for resilience and seeks to document the bottom-line benefits of resilient strategies and practices. For more information, visit www.usresilienceproject.org.
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