Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business: Small Business Conference

Talk About Business: AI-Powered Strategies for Building Tomorrow's Business

Save the date and join Westminster University’s Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business on March 28, 2025 for Talk About Business: AI-Powered Strategies for Building Tomorrow's Business. This 2025 conference is designed to help small business owners connect with the broader small business community and address issues affecting businesses.

Keynote speakers and local business leaders will share practical and applied knowledge that addresses the most pressing and relevant issues you currently face. Panel discussions and presentations will be appropriate for a wide range of locally-owned enterprises, including small businesses owned by minority, low-income, and female-led households.

Conference Topics

Prioritize a strong business culture and effective team building
Assess the timing for hiring and scaling, particularly for solopreneurs
Develop an effective board of directors for productivity and accountability
Learn about buying businesses
Investing in real estate for the business
Explore the role of interns and managing remote teams
Stay informed about economic conditions, government contracts, and AI impacts on business
Continuously learn about pricing strategies to boost profitability
Integrating AI into everyday business
Embracing AI for competitive advantage
Innovation and adaptation in a changing market
Utah small business ecosystem
Working with lenders and the SBA
Private equity, venture, and angel investors panel

Event Information

Date: March 28, 2025
Location: Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business
Registration fee: $25 per person. Includes lunch and a light reception. Westminster students, faculty, and staff may attend for free.
Questions? Contact the Center for Financial Wellness by email (wcfw@westminsteru.edu)

Event Schedule

Time	Event	Location
8–10:00 a.m.	Registration	Bill & Vieve Gore School of Business Foyer
10–10:30 a.m.	Welcome — Opening Remarks Dax Jacobson, PhD, Dean, Bill & Vieve Gore School of Business	Gore Auditorium
10:30–11:30 a.m.	Strategies Breakout A: Trabajar con prestamistas y la Administración de Pequeñas Empresas (SBA) - Abe Reyna, Altabank y Maria Lemus, Cyprus Credit Union Strategies Breakout B: What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About Implementing AI in a Changing Market - Kirby Glad, Cerenimbus Software Strategies Breakout C: Strategic Marketing through AI - Nelson Altamirano, Strategica Marketing and Angel Viveros, Strategica Marketing Strategies Breakout D: Developing your advisory group for productivity and accountability - Nancy Mayer, Power Play Profit Solutions and Barney Boynton, Renaissance Strategies Panel E: Integrating AI into Everyday Business - Missy Kelly, CatTonuge Grips Strategies Panel F: Future-Proofing Your Business with AI Insights - Kavita Ganesan, Opinosis Analytics, Kevin Williams, Ascend Labs AI, and Mike Bills, AtlasRTX	A: Gore 106 B: Gore 133 C: Gore 134 D: Gore 227 E: Gore 228 F: Gore Auditorium
11:30–11:45 a.m.	Break — Water and coffee services	Gore Foyer
11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.	Keynote Speakers Khosrow Semnani, One Kind Act Pete Codella, Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity Richard Haskell, PhD, Bill & Vieve Gore School of Business	Gore Auditorium
12:30–1:15 p.m.	Lunch	Gore Atrium
1:15–2:15 p.m.	Strategies Breakout A: Marketing Estratégico mendiante el uso de AI - Nelson Altamirano, Strategica Marketing and Angel Viveros, Strategica Marketing Strategies Breakout B: What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About Implementing IA in a Changing Market - Kirby Glad, Cerenimbus Software Strategies Breakout C: Embracing AI for Competitive Advantage - Kavita Ganesan, Opinosis Analytics Strategies Breakout D: Developing your advisory group for productivity and accountability - Nancy Mayer, Power Play Profit Solutions and Barney Boynton, Renaissance Strategies Panel E: Working with Lenders and the SBA - Mark Maxwell, Altabank, Kim Tolman, Cyprus Credit Union, and Sara Day, Utah Micro Loan Fund Strategies Panel F: Staying informed: economic conditions and developments in AI - Zach Boyd, Utah Office of AI Policy, Bassam Salem, Mindshare Ventures, and Jason Kidman, Vigilant IT	A: Gore 106 B: Gore 133 C: Gore 134 D: Gore 227 E: Gore 228 F: Gore Auditorium
2:15–2:30 p.m.	Break — Water and coffee services	Gore Foyer
2:30–3:30 p.m.	Strategies Breakout A: Integración de la IA en las actividades contidianas de los negocios - Gonzalo Pena, Business Banker and AI Podcaster and Eduardo Henriques, AI Data Strategies Strategies Breakout B: The Changing Non-Profit Landscape: AI Strategies for successful non-profits - Felecia Maxfield Barrett, Utah Global Diplomacy and Scott Mietchen, Fund Raising Counsel Strategies Breakout C: Integrating Cyber Security and AI into Small Business - Jared Hoskins, Summit V Cyber Security Strategies Breakout D: Practical and Fun Applications in AI - Tara Spalding, Business Growth Architect Strategies Panel E: Private Equity, Venture and Angel Investors Panel - Bill Kirth, Rectify Partners, Jon Carr, Distinct Capitol Group, Darren Siegrist, Crewe Captial, and Tim Holladay, Space Station Investments Strategies Panel F: The Utah Small Business Ecosystem: accessing resources for startups and early-stages businesses - James Jackson, III, The Mill, Ann Marie Wallace, WBC, Michael Finnerty, Utah SBDC, Peter Majowski, SLC Econ Development	A: Gore 106 B: Gore 133 C: Gore 134 D: Gore 227 E: Gore 228 F: Gore Auditorium
3:30–4:30 p.m.	Reception / Networking Casual reception with drinks and light refreshments	Gore Atrium