Register for the 2023 Minority Small Business Summit!
About the event:
Now in its third year, the Minority Small Business Summit is a chance for minority small business owners and entrepreneurs to strategize and grow at a day-long event. Attendees will have the opportunity to network, participate in educational sessions, and connect to community resources.
Tickets to this event are available at no cost thanks to the generous support of the event sponsors: Omaha West Rotary Club, Greater Omaha Chamber REACH, Security National Bank, Lamson Dugan & Murray Law, and the Nebraska Business Development Center.
In addition, the conference will feature the second Minority Small Business Summit Pitch Competition, with five finalists competing for funding for their business.
- Date: June 8, 2023
- Time: 8:30 A.M. - 2:30 P.M.
- Location: Seventy Five North – The Venue, 2112 North 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68111
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AGENDA
8:30 A.M. | Check-In
9:00 A.M. | Welcome Remarks
9:15 A.M. | "To Certify or Not to Certify: Small and Disadvantaged Business Certification Options" presented by Daniel Kuchar, NBDC APEX Accelerator
9:45 A.M. | Entrepreneurship Panel featuring Nicka Johnson, Bruno Caro, and Sarah Cano
10:45 A.M. | Networking Break
11:00 A.M. | "Exploring the Entrepreneurial Journey to Success" presented by Armando Salgado
11:45 A.M. | Networking Break
12:00 P.M. | Lunch
12:30 P.M. | Keynote: "Utilizing Resources for Small Business and Improving the Landscape for Minority Small Businesses in Omaha" presented by Tim Burke, Interim CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber
1:00 P.M. | 2023 Minority Small Business Summit Pitch Competition
2:00 P.M. | Closing Remarks
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PITCH COMPETITION
Applications for the pitch competition are now closed. Five finalists will be selected to compete at the Summit on June 8.
The pitch competition is geared to established business owners seeking funding to branch into a new area, invest in additional marketing, or utilize in other ways to bring their business to the next level. This competition is not intended for start-up funding.
Five finalists will be selected to compete on the afternoon of June 8, 2023, at the Minority Small Business Summit. In addition, they will attend a practice run in May where they will be given feedback and have the opportunity to refine their pitch.
Prizes:
- First place: $10,000
- Second place: $5,000
- Third-Fifth place: $1,000
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SPEAKERS
Keynote Speaker: Tim Burke, Interim CEO and President of the Greater Omaha Chamber
Tim Burke is the interim CEO and President of the Greater Omaha Chamber. He retired as CEO of OPPD in 2021 after over 30 years in the natural gas, electric, and utility service industry. His focus on customer service and continuous business improvement has produced 13 straight J.D. Power and Associates awards for #1 Utility in customer satisfaction. Tim is an active participant in the Omaha area community and is a board member or volunteer to over eight national and local non-profits. Tim has seen small businesses become large businesses and seen an ever-changing business environment and led operations to remain successful through those changes.
As the APEX Accelerator Business Development Specialist, Daniel Kuchar assists businesses in exploring a potential new market – Federal, State, and Local government sales. He does this by learning about a company’s aspirations, connecting them to technical assistance resources, and coordinating government contracting training sessions. Daniel’s professional experience includes business development, marketing, management, business strategy, sustainability, and market intelligence.
Nicka Johnson was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. With poverty at the forefront of her childhood upbringing and experiences like teenage pregnancies, single-parent environments, and absent fathers, Nicka is no stranger to adversity. Nicka learned that while her family dynamics may have shaped who she is it doesn't determine who she will become.
Her life's mission is to help bridge the gap of economic and financial opportunity in her community. As she continues to break barriers and build futures, she believes that anyone can change their relationship with money with one simple yet profound question "Is that in your budget?"
She is the nationally recognized CEO of Budget to Success which supports underrepresented communities by teaching the importance of financial literacy focusing on budgeting, savings, and credit. The work she does in her community is reflective of grassroots activists.
Bruno, a board-certified nurse practitioner and CrossFit coach, has been serving the Omaha community for 15 years. Born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, he's dedicated his career to public service, working at One World Health Centers since 2011 and as a firefighter from 2018 to 2023.
Identifying a need among underserved Latinos, Bruno co-founded Hazlo Health, a digital healthcare technology firm providing chronic disease management. As CEO, he's committed to improving health outcomes between doctors' visits.
As a father of three young boys, Bruno's diverse experiences underscore his advocacy for accessible healthcare and the well-being of the Latino community.
Sarah was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minn., and worked her way through school at the University of Minnesota. She eventually launched a successful corporate career in the medical device industry, which led her to a new adventure living in the heart of Mexico City.
By a twist of fate, that is where she met her now husband, Jorge who led her to Omaha, Neb. In 2015 they decided to join forces and started Rooforia, a home & commercial exterior construction company dedicated to bettering homes and communities, and providing career opportunities for their employees.
Over the past seven years, Sarah has led the company to substantial success and growth both in terms of revenue and employees. The success of Rooforia has also fueled the launch of Violet Quarters Development, a real estate and community development company, utilizing their expertise in construction to improve their real estate ventures within the local community.
Over the past decade, Sarah and her husband Jorge have been blessed to see both their businesses and family grow. The title that brings Sarah the most joy is “Mom” to their four children Savannah (9), Violeta (7), Gael (5) and Camilo (3) who together make up a pretty good “demolition crew” and have grown to love spending the day with Mom & Dad “building character” over at Rooforia HQ!
Armando Salgado, Speaker
Armando Salgado’s life as an entrepreneur and community service advocate began with the recognition of the point where the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities intersected and the need for Latino leadership was missing. He launched LingoDocs Marketing (lingodocs.com) in 2006 to bridge both business communities, giving them the opportunity to double their markets. Through LingoDocs Marketing, Armando provides a variety of traditional marketing services such as publishing the only bilingual (English/Spanish) magazine in Omaha (bilingualnebraska.com), printing, signage, custom apparel, web development, graphic design, social media, translation services, virtual services, and more. Armando lends a unique twist of specializations to helping clients grow their business by overcoming the language, cultural, and business barriers, both in English and in Spanish. Armando is also the founder of USMEX Express (usmexexpress.com), which provides domestic and international shipping services. Armando has over 20 years of experience in the Real Estate business, owning and managing Zianya Properties LLC, and a construction business, MultiLevel Contractors, LLC (multilevelcontractors.com).
Armando earned a double major in International Studies and Spanish from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. During and after his graduation from UNO, Armando worked a little over 10 years in the Non-Profit sector in creating programs for all ages, infrastructure creation, and fundraising. Armando is also an adjunct instructor at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, teaching business and construction to small business owners in both English and Spanish, providing topics that assist the participants in starting, managing and sustaining their business. Over 205 Latino owned companies have formed with Armando’s help in the past 5 years. Armando’s involvement in the Hispanic Business Contractor sector paved way for the creation of the only Hispanic contractor association, called United Hispanic Contractors Association (unitedhispaniccontractors.com), with 60 plus members.
Armando furthers his mission of breaking down barriers and promoting business, language and cultural awareness and doing community service through various community organization and holding several board positions, including Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, OneWorld Community Health Center, Heartland Workforce Solutions, College of Saint Mary, Futuro Latino Fund, Business Ethics Alliance Trustee, Criminal Justice Advisory, Latino Economic Development Council, and Cinco de Mayo Festival, among others. Armando was born in Mexico, together with his mother and father, migrated to the U.S. at the age of 6 and as many Latino families, they worked and contributed to the U.S. society to earn their piece of the American dream.
Armando is married to his wonderful and supportive wife and Realtor, Yamy Salgado, (from the Dominican Republic via New York City) and has 2 beautiful children, Zianya (16) and Zuriel (10).
