Virginia’s Blue Ridge Series: The State of Innovation
You don’t want to miss this distinguished panel discussion about the technology and medical advancements helping drive our region forward! Presenters will be Amy White, dean of the School of STEM at Virginia Western Community College; Troy Keyser, director of innovation for Carilion Clinic; and Dr. Hal Irvin, Ph.D., associate vice president for health sciences and technology outreach at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Erin Burcham, president of Verge and executive director of Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council, will moderate. The Virginia’s Blue Ridge Series is geared toward business owners, C-suite executives and junior to senior-level management professionals. Purchase tickets in advance at the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce website: https://roanokechamber.org.
Where: Vinton War Memorial, 814 E. Wahsington St., Vinton
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Cost: $50 members, $100 future members (includes breakfast)
Contact: Valerie Brannan, vbrannan@roanokechamber.org
Salem-Roanoke County Chamber Check-in
Start your week with networking, finding solutions to challenges, and connecting to additional resources. If you have expertise to share in support of other members or would like 10-15 minutes to share your current programs and offerings, we’d love to have you speak during a check-in; please reach out to Beth Bell, director@s-rcchamber.org. After hearing from our local expert/member speaker, stick around for networking and chamber updates. Members and future members may attend; however, only members can present to the group. Takes place every other Tuesday.
Contact: Beth Bell, director@ s-rcchamber.org
American Business Women’s Association Luncheon Meeting
RSVP by March 14! Join us for our monthly luncheon featuring guest speaker Janay Reece, reporter on WDBJ7’s Mornin’ Show. Come learn ways to promote your business so you get noticed.
Where: Holiday Inn Christiansburg-Blacksburg, 99 Bradley Drive, Christiansburg
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Contact: Terri Welch at christiansburg@wineanddesign.com
Beer & Biotech: The Future of Biotech in the Region
Beer & Biotech is an ecosystem-building series that will bring together investors, physicians, academics, inventors, startups and state and regional leaders who are influential in the biotechnology industry. Each event in the yearlong series will feature a local, regional or national speaker and include plenty of time for networking and beverages at the host brewery. For this installment, John Newby, chief executive officer of Virginia Bio, will share his vision for the future of biotechnology and biotech commercialization in the region.
Where: Big Lick Brewing Co., 409 Salem Ave. SW, Roanoke (back room)
Contact: Register at https://rbtc.tech/rbtc-events
Annual Business Awards Breakfast
The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber’s most celebrated event, where we honor our local heroes, community members and winners of our small and large business, regional business, nonprofit organization and citizen of the year. A full breakfast will be served. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, grab a coffee and connect with other chamber members. Register on the website: http://s-rcchamber.org.
Where: Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Blvd., Salem
Cost: $35 members, $45 nonmembers
Contact: Beth Bell, director@s-rcchamber.org
SBDC Ag Day 2022: Expected Market Trends for Farmers’ Markets, Farm Stores and Local Food
Pre-registration required! Our speaker will be Rose Jeter, Agricultural Technology Program, Virginia Tech. Topics include: what is a market analysis and why do I need one; how to find market size, potential and trends; and an overview of current trends in local and regional food systems. This session is geared toward owners of small business who are producers, growers, farmers market managers and vendors, manufacturers and retailers in the agriculture industry. A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration.
SBDC Ag Day 2022 : Are you Market Ready? Tips and Best Practices for Producers to Sell to Consumers at Farmers’ Markets
Pre-registration required!
Our speaker will be Dr. Theresa Nartea, associate professor and Extension specialist, Marketing & Agribusiness. This session is geared toward helping participants: increase their knowledge of effective, attractive and safe product display at a farmers market; increase awareness of consumer preferences in purchasing direct to consumer; increase confidence in creating a farmers market display that enhances product value to the end consumer. A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration.
Contact: https://www.roanokesmall business.org/training/agday-market trends
Preparing for IRONMAN 2022: Tips and Tools for Small Businesses to Capitalize for Increased Sales
Pre-registration required! The Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge is coming to the region June 3-5. Is your business ready? Join the SBDC for a virtual workshop that will provide tips and tools for your business to capitalize on increased activity before and during race weekend. We will be joined by special guests from The IRONMAN Group, and Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration.
Contact: Register by going to https://www.roanokesmallbusiness.org/
CyberSecurity Forum: Roundtable Discussion
Join us as we learn more about log4j and what you can do to secure your organization’s systems and networks. This will be a one-hour, in-person roundtable discussion (with food and drinks), followed by a hands-on workshop breakout on the Cyber Range (BYOLaptop). This workshop will give you a step-by-step lab to scan for, detect and exploit this serious vulnerability, just as a black hat would on your network. Then we’ll discuss patching, prevention and mitigation strategies to keep your organization safe going forward.
Where: Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, (Building/Room TBA), Blacksburg
Cost: $10 members, $15 nonmembers
Contact: Register at https://www.rbtc.tech/event/
Understanding Intellectual Property and the Patent Process
Pre-registration required! Protecting your product and maintaining a competitive advantage is the basis for patent law. The goals of this workshop are to help current small business owners in all industries understand the different types of intellectual property (IP); identify the IP assets of their business; and determine the next steps to protect their IP. Our speaker will be Timothy J. Bechen, Of Counsel, Intellectual Property Practice, Woods Rogers. A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration.
Contact: Register by going to https://www.roanokesmallbusiness.org/
Clean Valley Council’s Star City Sustainability Society Series: Driving Down Emissions
This month’s speaker will be Andrea Garland, director of RIDE Solutions, who will talk about a report by Transportation For America and Smart Growth America that explores how our land-use and transportation decisions are inextricably connected, and proposes strategies to reduce emissions while building a more equitable society. These free lectures are being held on the fourth Thursday of each month, and will feature different sustainability professionals who will speak on topics related to their expertise. More information on the series and future presenters may be found at https://cleanvalley.org/scss.
Where: Humble Hustle (community room), 601 11th St. NW, Suite 102
Contact: info@cleanvalley.org
The Botetourt Young Professionals Group is for anyone who works, lives or wants to connect in Botetourt County. We strive to bring together young professionals, so we may learn, grow and reach our full potentials as future leaders in our area, as well as give back to our community through acts of service. Individuals of all professions and ages are welcome to attend our events and activities. More info at https://botetourtchamber.com/.
Where: 1772 Rooftop on Main, Fincastle
Cost: No fee; Dutch treat
Contact: Kaleigh Duffy, kmd.pga@gmail.com
Join us for coffee and refreshments, courtesy of our host, Smith Mountain Lake Association. This event provides a structured and supportive networking environment for chamber members.
Where: SMLA, 400 Scruggs Road, Suite 2100, Moneta
Contact: info@visitsmithmountainlake.com
Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council’s Tech & Toast events are held throughout the year and typically alternate between Blacksburg and Roanoke locations to encourage regional participation. Each event includes a speaker or panel and valuable networking with business and technology leaders from across the region.
Where: Blacksburg (location TBA)
Contact: Learn more at https://www.rbtc.tch/event/
QuickBooks Series: How to Process Payroll in QuickBooks Online
Pre-registration required! Join the SBDC for this virtual workshop presented by Tom Tanner, regional lead advisor and QuickBooks pro. Learn how to create your company settings, how to set up electronic payments to the state and the IRS, how to run regular and special payroll, and more. Any current small business owner in any industry who is currently using QuickBooks online is encouraged to attend. A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration.
Contact: Register at https://www.roanokesmallbusiness.org/training/qbpayroll
Webinar: Success Through e-Commerce
Please pre-register! Join the SBDC if you’re interested in pivoting more of your efforts to online sales. Our speaker will be Cameron Nelson, chief digital advisor, Virginia SBDC. This session will cover the variety of websites available, how to upgrade your website to accommodate online sales, e-commerce platforms and how to select the best one, how to set up your online storefront, and more. A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration.
Contact: Register at https://clients.virginiasbdc.org/events.aspx
Blocksburg Summit 2022 will bring blockchain thought leaders from around the world to the Virginia Tech community to engage in conversations at the intersection of technology, research, regulation, policy and economics in commercial enterprises, government and education. Register to secure your spot.
Contact: Learn more at https://www.rbtc.tch/event/
Information on public events of interest to businesspeople can be emailed to upcoming@roanoke.com. Deadline for submissions is two weeks before the event.
