ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
EARLY BIRD RATE EXTENDED $95/person to May 5 Registration includes FREE breakfast, lunch & drinks.
REGULAR RATE: $125/person after May 5
If you have questions, contact Whitney Hildebran at (919) 962-0389 or unc@sbtdc.org.
On May 12th, the SBTDC will hold a full-day course to help you understand the nuts and bolts of growth financing. Join leaders in the areas of debt financing, crowd funding and financial accounting to learn how to incorporate these key components into your business so that your technology development efforts can successfully move into commercialization and thrive. The event will be held at The Frontier at 800 Park Offices Dr, RTP (get directions).
KEY TOPICS INCLUDE
- Bank financing overview and services defined
- Crowdfunding myths and realities uncovered
- Panel session with small businesses that have financed growth through various mechanisms
- QuickBooks overview
- Financial statement development and understanding
- ProfitCents industry comparison tool available from the SBTDC
- One-on-one sessions with speakers will be held throughout the day
AGENDA
9:00 am |
Check-in & Breakfast |
9:30 am |
Welcome & Intro
Patrick Rodriguez, U.S. Small Business Administration
John Hardin, NC Board of Science, Technology & Innovation |
9:45 am |
SBA Debt Financing
Morgen McVane, BB&T
Erica Pittman, BB&T |
10:30 am |
Banking Services for Small Businesses |
11:00 am |
Break |
11:15 am |
Small Business Panel | “Growth Funding Successes”
Moderator: Kim Steffan, Steffan & Associates, P.C.
Michael Beggan, Sweetwater Ices
Alexis Gabard, Keranetics
Heather Splawn, Kyma Technologies
|
12:00 pm |
Lunch / Keynote
Leo John, NC Dept of the Secretary of State
Investor and Business Outreach Specialist, Securities Division |
1:15 pm |
Crowdfunding Overview
Jon Spinney, Malartu |
2:00 pm | QuickBooks and Financial Statements Overview Richard McGivney, Rankin McKenzie Beth Mullaney, Rankin McKenzie |
3:15 pm |
Break |
3:30 pm | Government Contract Services from the SBTDC Rebecca Barbour, NC PTAC |
3:45 pm |
ProfitCents Overview
SBTDC |
4:15 pm | Wrap-Up |
4:30 pm |
Happy Hour
Compliments of The Frontier |

SPEAKERS/PANELISTS
Michael Beggan SweetWater Ices
Michael Beggan started his career as a High School Social Studies Teacher in Farmingdale, NY. In 2011, he was laid off after 7 years of teaching due to the recession and failing school budgets. Unable to get another teaching job, he drove a delivery truck into NYC for almost a year with his business partner. They followed friends to Raleigh-Durham, and started SweetWater Ices in June 2012. After 5 years of being in business, Michael says starting the business is one of his best accomplishments in life.
Leo John NC Department of Secretary
Leo John is Investor and Business Outreach Legal Specialist at N.C. Department of Secretary of State, Securities Division. The state agency registers legal entities, administers and enforces state securities laws, administers the state trademarks database and performs various other functions that intersect with business and commerce. An attorney and a former business journalist, Leo closely tracks the state’s business climate and in particular entrepreneurial activity to ensure businesses are forewarned and forearmed about the legal landscape in which they operate.
Rich McGivney Rankin McKenzie
Richard (Rich) McGivney, CPA, CGMA is a results-oriented financial executive with more than 30 years of public accounting, corporate finance, and leadership experience. He has a proven track record in building and managing high-growth research and technical services organizations, from entrepreneurial startups to companies with more than 1,000 employees. More +
Morgan McVane BB&T
Morgen McVane is a Market Leader and Small Business Lender with BB&T in Durham. She has been with BB&T for 5 years, working in the Cary, Raleigh and Durham markets. Morgen is also a Sterling Performance award winner.
As a Small Business Administration (SBA) Preferred Lender, BB&T has lending programs that extend beyond the scope of standard financing by providing flexible terms to improve repayment ability and preserve working capital. SBA loans can be a useful source of needed capital for many small businesses. Interest rates are generally a couple or percentage points over prime, and repayment terms can be negotiated.
Erica Pittman BB&T
Erica Pittman is a Market Leader and Small Business Lender with BB&T at the Capital Blvd branch in Raleigh. She has been with BB&T for 12 years, working in the Durham, Wake Forest, Raleigh markets, with a focus on small business lending. Erica graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as the BB&T Leadership Development Program. She is also a two time winner of BB&T’s Sterling Performance award.
As a Small Business Administration (SBA) Preferred Lender, BB&T has lending programs that extend beyond the scope of standard financing by providing flexible terms to improve repayment ability and preserve working capital. SBA loans can be a useful source of needed capital for many small businesses. Interest rates are generally a couple or percentage points over prime, and repayment terms can be negotiated.
Patrick Rodriguez U.S. Small Business Administration
Patrick Rodriguez is based at Wake Technical Community College’s Cary campus and serves as a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) resource for business owners, lenders and government contracting entities. Rodriguez worked more than six years in the SBA Los Angeles district office as an economic development specialist, public information officer and veteran outreach coordinator.
Jon Spinney Malartu Funds
Jon Spinney is the CEO and Co-founder at Malartu Funds, the first online investment platform to take advantage of Title II of the Federal JOBS Act in the Southeast. Launching in 2015, Malartu has already invested close to $500,000 in 11 companies in North Carolina. More +
Heather Splawn Kyma Technologies
Heather Splawn was awarded a Corporate Research Postdoctoral Fellowship for Engineers sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the American Society for Engineering Education just before she joined Kyma Technologies where she is currently the COO & VP of Finance. She received her Ph.D. in EE from Duke University where she served as the President of the Engineering Graduate Student Council. More +
Kim Steffan Attorney
Kim Steffan has been in general practice since 1986, most of that time in Hillsborough, NC. She has spoken to various groups on estate planning, business law, family law, and other topics. Ms. Steffan writes the monthly “Ask the Lawyer” legal column for the News of Orange County. More +