Nevada Connectors Provides Expert Advice to Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners

By Julie Ardito
RENO — Local small business owners and start-up companies will have 26 successful northern Nevada business professionals and experts to call on for help with questions and issues pertaining to their company, thanks to Nevada Connectors, a new online business program that launched this week.

A joint venture between the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) and the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business, Nevada Connectors provides a professional network of experts to individuals with new or small businesses in one convenient online forum at www.NVConnectors.com. The professional “Connectors” are designed to be a first contact for entrepreneurs and small business owners who have questions or issues that are impacting their business and are in need of solutions.

“We saw a need locally for ongoing support for these small business owners and start-up companies to solicit advice from industry experts and help them solve problems in a timely fashion and keep their business on track,” said Chris Howard, director of entrepreneurship initiative for the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business. “The beauty of the program is its simplicity, and that each business owner benefits from one-to-one consultation from some of northern Nevada’s top executives.”

Nevada Connectors is simple to use. A business owner completes the following steps:
— Visits www.NVConnectors.com.
— Submits a specific question to be answered.
— A Connector with pertinent expertise will accept the question and contact the individual to arrange a call or meeting.
— The Connector and individual meet to come to a resolution.

Howard said the partnership between the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business and EDAWN was the perfect collaboration since “EDAWN also saw a need with prospective companies looking to relocate or expand to the region, and this provides a tool for their economic development recruitment efforts,” Howard said.

“We have such a dynamic pool of local industry talent and expertise that, to their credit, jumped at the chance to participate in the program, which demonstrates the collaborative nature of our business community,” said Tom Matter, out-of-market business development manager for EDAWN. “We see Nevada Connectors as an asset to attracting companies to our region, as it gives us credible local business experts we can connect these companies to who they can speak with about questions concerning their business and employees.”

The current lineup of Nevada Connectors includes a diverse group of CEO’s, successful entrepreneurs, accountants, business owners, lawyers, bank presidents, industrial developers, marketers, and others.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the Nevada Connectors program. Howard said since the University of Nevada, Reno offers an entrepreneurship minor, any student enrolled in the entrepreneurship course, can utilize the program to find an internship.

For more information about Nevada Connectors, visit www.NVConnectors.com or call (775) 829-3700.

About EDAWN: EDAWN is a private, non-profit corporation founded by community leaders in 1982. EDAWN works to recruit and expand quality companies that have a positive impact on the quality of life in Greater Reno-Tahoe. Reno was named the No. 1 Place for Doing Business in America 2005 by Inc. magazine. For more information, visit www.edawn.org.

About the University of Nevada, College of Business: The University of Nevada, Reno College of Business has helped educate and provide more than 10,000 business graduates with the judgment and skill set needed for a rapidly changing business world. Recently, the College of Business developed an entrepreneurship initiative to include a minor in Entrepreneurship and a broader strategy to connect the University to the small business community through more customization of direct service offerings. For more information, visit www.unr.edu/college-of-business.