Following a successful mid-October event, the City of Bridgeport is hosting a second “Lunch & Learn” Thurs., Feb. 18 at Bridgeport Municipal Building. Registration is open for those wishing to take part in next week’s opportunity, geared toward small business owners or those considering a small business venture.

 

Featured speakers will be Rick Haney, lender relations specialist with the Small Business Administration, and Tim James of The First Microloan of West Virginia.

 

“They will be discussing funding options other than banks, which include microloans, personal loans and owner financing,” said City Clerk Andrea Kerr, who is organizing the event.

 

“Lunch & Learn” gets under way at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 18 and will last about an hour and a half. Lunch will be served.

 

Held Oct. 14, Kerr said the initial Lunch & Learn drew a dozen attendees who gathered to learn from guest speakers Nikki Bowmar of the SBA and Luke Nesler of IMPAKT Creative. “Top Five Social Media Marketing Questions" was the featured topic. 

 

“It was great,” Kerr said. “It was a very informative class and one that we will probably do again in the future.”

 

Among  attendees was Amanda Marks-Cunningham, public affairs coordinator for Waste Management. 

 

“It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with other professionals that work outside of the industry I serve,” she said. “The social media topic was very relevant to the strategies needed to market and engage today’s consumer.”

 

Since it was held over the lunch hour, the event was convenient to attend, Marks-Cunningham said. She also liked the laid-back environment.

 

Registration for next week’s Lunch & Learn can be completed by contacting Kerr at akerr@bridgeportwv.com.  Kerr welcomes ideas for future Lunch and Learn sessions.

 

“If anyone has a topic they would like to hear a presentation on, they can contact me and I will try to get it scheduled for next quarter," she said.