HOBART | Joshua Lybolt, the new regional director of the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, said he wouldn't be where he is today, both professionally and personally, without a statement he goes by in all of his dealings.
A business partner gave it to him a few years ago.
You're never going to reach the top unless you take others with you.
That statement basically was the theme of a program Thursday at the Avalon Manor in which the SBDC and the Purdue University Calumet Center for Entrepreneurship Success announced their newly revitalized initiatives and programs.
"I would like all of us to reflect on that statement while we reach for new heights and use that in our dealings here for the growth of the Northwest Indiana community," Lybolt said.
The event also was a way for business leaders to meet the new leadership of the SBDC -- Lybolt and Dushan Nikolovski, director of the PUC entrepreneurial center.
Nikolovski was particularly excited about one initiative, a joint venture with Mompreneurs Online to provide a national online certificate designed and tailored specifically for women.
"We're going to give women an opportunity to be educated in entrepreneurship and start their own business," he said.
Nikolovski also reintroduced a program, Opportunity for Indiana Business Plan Competition, which offers Indiana residents an opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship through the development and presentation of a business idea to a panel of judges.
"This program is truly a good way to cultivate and inspire entrepreneurship within Northwest Indiana," he said.
Another initiative, Business Opportunity Expo, is a chance for people to seek out various opportunities, Nikolovski said.
The expo will feature franchisers, home business professionals, financing and banking experts, along with various educational programs.
"It's a chance to learn the tricks of the trade from people who have already succeeded," Nikolovski said.
He also announced a Chinese Executive Leadership Program that will give local area business leaders a chance to discuss and exchange ideas with senior officials from Chinese businesses.
"We'll see the first group of participants this fall," said Nikolovski, who hopes to start a similar program with Nigeria.
The SBDC also announced that E-Day has returned. Nominations for a business person in Northwest Indiana for Entrepreneurial Business Person of 2008 are needed. For more information, visit www.nwisdbc.org.
The awards luncheon will be Oct. 16 at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville.
