Penn State Behrend to host Global Entrepreneurship Week events

ERIE, Pa. – It’s often said that the hardest part of starting a business is actually starting. That’s why Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is encouraging entrepreneurs to “Start Something Here.”

In honor of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the college will host a series of talks and presentations on Wednesday, Nov. 15, and Thursday, Nov. 16. All of the events are free and open to the public and will be held in Penn State Behrend’s Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center.

This year’s theme for Global Entrepreneurship Week is “Start Something Here,” which reflects Penn State’s commitment to building relationships between members of the University and local entrepreneurial communities.

“The wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge and support in the Erie region is enormous and growing,” said Jake Marsh, industry relations coordinator at Penn State Behrend. “People who have built a business from the ground up are eager to share their experience with others seeking to do the same, and I'm thrilled that they're going to do some of that here.”

Talks will be presented by professionals from Erie Ale Works, Erie Technology Incubator, Acoustic Sheep, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Penn State Behrend and Presque Isle Designs. The keynote talk will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, and will be delivered by Don Morrison, the former longtime president of American Eagle Outfitters and current chairman of Deal Flow for BlueTree Allied Angels.

The public schedule for the week is as follows:

Wednesday, Nov. 15

-- "Brewing a Brand," 1 p.m., 109 Burke.

Erie Ale Works' Steve Anthony, 2009 Penn State graduate, and Jeff McCullor

-- "The Things They Don't Tell You about Entrepreneurship," 1:45 p.m., 109 Burke.

Scott Ticer of Erie Technology Incubato

-- "The Rest is Easy," 2:30 p.m., 109 Burke.

Acoustic Sheep's Wei-Shin Lei

-- "Entrepreneurial Lessons from Indie Film-Making," 3:15 p.m., 109 Burke.

Filmmaker John Lyons

-- "The Myth of the Independent Entrepreneur," 4 p.m., 109 Burke.

Jake Marsh, Industry Relations Coordinator

Thursday, Nov. 16

-- "8 Questions Every Entrepreneur Needs to Answer," 1:10 p.m. , 180 Burke.

Brian Slawin, regional director and portfolio manager, Ben Franklin Technology Partners

-- Keynote: "Building an Iconic Brand," 2 p.m., 180 Burke.

Don Morrison, chairman of Deal Flow for BlueTree Allied Angels and former president, American Eagle Outfitters

-- "Entrepreneurship Minor at Penn State Behrend," 3 p.m., 180 Burke.

Diane Parente, professor of management

-- "Industry Innovation through University R&D," 3:15 p.m., 180 Burke.

Oladipo Onipede, associate professor of mechanical engineering

-- "Take Action & #FightFear," 3:45 p.m., 180 Burke.

Jenny Poff, owner and chief branding officer, Presque Isle Designs, LLC.

For more information on Global Entrepreneurship Week, contact Marsh at [email protected].