February 21, 2016
Managing a business requires many components: some of which logistics, networking, and employee welfare are the most important. Recently, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce organized their annual Eastside Small Business Expo to address these matters. The USC Health Sciences Campus Community Partnerships in Civic Engagement and Economic Development co-sponsored the event on February 29. Among notable attendees such as the California State Treasurer John Chiang, the event was attended by 150 community organizations and was held at the California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities Conference Center.
Spokespersons from the University of Southern California included executive directors Sergio Gascon of the USC Minority Business Development Agency, Dr. Rhonda Thornton of the USC Small Business Vendor Program, and Zul Surani of the community partnerships on the Health Sciences Campus. Also presenting at the event were Dr. Rene Sotelo and Ghecemy Lopez. Dr. Rene Sotelo is a physician and researcher at the USC Keck School of Medicine and Ghecemy Lopez is a USC staff member and cancer survivor.
Dr. Rene Sotelo and Ghecemy Lopez presented during the Worksite Wellness Programs session. The subject for the session concerned keeping employees healthy and top health priorities for Latinos and available resources. Dr. Rene Sotelo spoke on top health issues affecting Latinos. Ghecemy Lopez spoke on the new Cancer Resource Center for cancer patients, which is now available to the community and employers at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Sergio Gascon, Dr. Ronda Thornton, and Zul Surani spoke during the Emerging Business Opportunities session, concerning opportunities in global trade. Sergio Gascon spoke on opportunities in global trade while Dr. Rhonda Thornton spoke on how to become a USC vendor. Zul Surani spoke on new developments on the Health Sciences Campus Master Plan of interest to the small business community.
Also presenting at the expo were notable spokespersons from other organizations. Spokespersons from East West Bank, Bank of America, the SCE Federal Credit Union, and the Small Business Administration focused on improving commercial loan application tactics for small businesses. Representatives from Strategic Choices Financial and Elliot Insurance presented Affordable Care Act reporting processes and developing retirement plans for employees. Members of the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs discussed available governmental programs for small businesses.
By: Brian Manahan