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Annual Business Owner Forum

Wednesday, September 16th

8:00-11:30am

Double Tree Hotel, RTP

4810 Page Creek Lane, Durham, NC

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

RSVP Deadline: Thursday, September 10th

This event is for EPI RDU chapter members and their business owner guests.

No cost to attend.

A passcode is required to register. The chapter member who invited you will provide you with that passcode to apply on the Registration page.

Good business strategy today creates more options tomorrow

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This event is designed for the business owner who:

Is striving to grow their business.
May be hitting a ceiling in their growth.
Has had success, but has a desire to get their business to the next level.
Wants to learn from others.
Desires to network with other owners.
Believes they always have something to learn.

Event Highlights:

Owner Panel Discussion

Hear three local business owners share hard-earned lessons on growth, systems, & financial performance — and how each impacts business.

Pete Zseleczky, Chief Operating Officer

John Gill, Owner

Wendy Coulter, Owner

3 Expert Presentations*

How to attract & retain top talent.

April Simpkins, PHR, SHRM-CP, CDP, New York Times bestselling author, International speaker, Entrepreneur, Mental health advocate.

You’ve worked hard to hire the right people and put them in the right seats. You spent time and a great deal of money getting them trained to do their role well within your business. The last thing you can afford is to lose that hard-earned employee to one of your competitors forcing you to start all over again. April will dig deep on this theme and explore ways to empower business owners to retain great talent.

April Simpkins is an HR strategist, leadership development consultant, and international keynote speaker with more than 30 years of executive-level experience. A former Chief Human Resources Officer, she now leads Paragon Strategy Partners, helping organizations develop and support emerging leaders through practical, real-world strategies.

April is also a dedicated mental health advocate, NAMI ambassador, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller By the Time You Read This: The Space Between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness. She founded the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation in honor of her daughter and hosts the podcast As I Was Saying, which explores the intersection of professional life and mental health.

How AI is making you smarter or dumber.

Martin Brossman & Dr. Justin Rose

One tool, two possible outcomes. The same AI that can expand your learning can just as quietly erode your ability to think, and most people can't tell which is happening to them. Supported by research from institutions like MIT, Harvard, and Microsoft, Martin Brossman and Dr. Justin Rose reveal both in real time, along with the single habit that separates them, and send you off with methods you can use within the hour.

Martin Brossman is a business trainer, success coach, author, and practical AI educator who helps people use emerging technology without losing the human connection that drives meaningful learning and results.

With decades of experience in technology, entrepreneurship, education, and professional development, Martin is known for making complex tools understandable and immediately useful. He is co-author of Relationship Marketing³: The Ground Game for Small Business Success, Job Hunting in the AI Era: Practical Tips and Proven Strategies, and Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Brick-and-Mortar Businesses: A Practical Guide to Prompts and AI Operations.

Martin is also co-authoring the forthcoming Human-Driven Classroom: A Practical Guide to AI in Education with Dr. Justin Rose. His work helps educators, business owners, and professionals use AI thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively while keeping human judgment, creativity, and relationships at the center.

Financing Your Business For Growth: What Is Holding You Back?

Omar Ritter, CEPA, SPHR

It’s important that you first articiulate what your opportunities for growing your business are, but the follow up action is to identify what is holding you back from pursuing your best opportunities. Whether it is your skill set, cash flow, your role within the business, your risk tolerance, your time horizon to your exit - everything needs to be considered. Once we take the time to diagnose these hurdles, we can begin to explore the options available to you as an owner: Debt financing, Equity, Minority ownership, Lender options, Friends & family, ESOP, and more.

Omar Ritter offers CFO and fractional CFO services to small and mid-sized businesses, providing financial clarity akin to Fortune 500 firms. With a West Point education, an MBA from Columbia, and CEPA and CPA certifications, he has held senior finance roles at JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo and served as CFO of Conduent. By working closely with business owners, Omar improves cash flow, boosts profit margins, and establishes strong reporting frameworks, all while minimizing the costs of a full-time CFO. He also emphasizes the mental health aspect of business.

*Each of these short presentations will be followed by guided table discussions with other business owners on best practices related to each topic. Learn from the best - other owners!