Symposium should interest more than just business owners
By John Hales
2-6-08

EPHRAIM—The 2008 Sanpete Business Symposium at Snow College may be of interest not only to the county’s business owners and managers, but also to an unlikely group: family-history buffs.
Alan Christensen, director of the Small Business Development Center at Snow College, a sponsor of the event, said the symposium’s keynote speaker, Paul Allen, should appeal to businesspeople and genealogists alike for two reasons.
“First, he’s a very successful Internet entrepreneur. He’s well known in the Utah business world for his achievements.
“Second, there are a lot of people in our community who would want to hear him speak not because he’s a business person, but because of the businesses he’s started,” such as MyFamily.com, Ancestry.com and his biggest venture yet, FamilyLink.com, which includes WorldVitalRecords.com.
“If you talk to any genealogy person, they’ll recognize those names,” Christensen said.
He said if enough people with interest in family history appear, Allen “might tweak his presentation” to suit.
Solely of interest to business owners at the symposium though, Christensen said, is an opportunity for some free consultation.
In one of three breakout sessions at the symposium, a private consulting company, Star Consulting, will share a business model that Allen says is the “secret for enhancing opportunities for growth.”
The company’s website is MyBusinessResults.com, which promotes the Gaining Focus system, a “simple process that collects information about your business from your customers, employees, and others. Then, it converts the information into critical insights you need to manage and grow your business,” according to the website.
Christensen said anyone who attends that session can apply for the company’s consultation services, “and Sanpete County will fit the bill for those consultations,” through an agreement with the county’s economic development office.
Of course that will be contingent on how many companies sign up for the service. But he said it could be a valuable tool.
“It identifies gaps in your business where you can improve. It’s a great tool.”
The breakout session where this will be offered is called “Better Your Bottom Line.” Two other breakout sessions will also be available: “Secret of Getting Financed,” and “Easy Resources for Small Business Success.”
The symposium will be held on Thursday, Feb. 14 in the Noyes Administration Building at Snow College. It is free and open to the public.
A 15-minute orientation session will be held at 9:45 prior to the morning’s breakout sessions. Attendees will be able to go to two of the three sessions before the keynote address.
Paul Allen’s presentation, which will be held at the Eccles Center of the Performing Arts in conjunction with the college’s Thursday convocation, will begin at 12:30 p.m. and last one hour.
For more information, visit www.snow.edu/business, or call 283-7376.