DURHAM, N.H. - The Carsey Institute and the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire will present the Stonyfield Farm Entrepreneurship Institute, a "boot camp" for community-minded entrepreneurs.

The event will be held March 25-26, 2010, at the Courtyard Marriott Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH, and will include an expanded format.

Now in its eighth year, the Stonyfield Farm Entrepreneurship Institute offers a safe and interactive environment for entrepreneurs to learn about financing, marketing, managing change, and other areas fundamental to growing an enterprise. The program was conceived by Stonyfield Farm co-founder Gary Hirshberg, and run by him and Michael Swack, a professor at the Whittemore School and a member of the research faculty at The Carsey Institute.

This year's program includes a Thursday session March 25 with an expanded format, featuring sessions on finance, business, and entrepreneurship. On Thursday night, seasoned entrepreneur Hirshberg, along with his wife, writer Meg Hirshberg, and Trish Karter, co-founder of the Dancing Deer Baking Company, will share their "Tales from the Trenches."

Friday, March 26, will feature the presentation of case studies in finance, marketing and organizational development as well as several live business plan critiques of pre-selected businesses.

Panelists include:

• Bob Burke, principal, Natural Products Consulting
• Andy Whitman, managing partner, 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners
• Michael Burgmaier, managing director advisor, Silverwood Partners; managing director, Royal River Associates; principal, CEI Community
• Brad Sterl, president, Rustic Crust
• Trish Karter, cofounder/CEO/chief deer, Dancing Deer Baking Company
• John Hamilton, Vested for Growth, NH Community Loan Fund
• Bob Davis, First Colebrook Bank
• Adam Borden, founder, Bradmer Foods
• Howard Brodsky, chairperson & CEO, CCA Global Partners
• Katie Paine, CEO, KDPaine & Partners, LLC
• Erik Drake, vice president of marketing, Stonyfield Farm, Inc.
• Carolyn Benthien, Benthien & Associates

The institute is sponsored by Stonyfield Farm, The Carsey Institute, First Colebrook Bank, New Hampshire Business Review, the Community Development Finance Authority, the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, and the Citizens Bank Foundation.

Cost to attend the institute is $250. Scholarships are available. Thursday lunch and dinner and Friday breakfast and lunch are included. Accommodations are available at the Courtyard Marriott Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH. Contact the hotel at 603-225-0303 or 1-800-321-2211 for more information. Mention the Stonyfield Institute room block for the conference rate of $99/night.
Deadline for submitting case studies is Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. Institute registration deadline is Monday, March 1, 2010. For more information, including a complete agenda, and registration, visit the Stonyfield Farm Entrepreneurship Institute at http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/sfei.html, or contact Susan Colucci at susan.colucci@unh.edu or 603-862-2821.

To register for the 2010 Stonyfield Farm Entrepreneurship Institute, visit events.unh.edu/RegistrationForm.pm?event_id=6389.

The Stonyfield Farm Entrepreneurship Institute is a program conceived by Gary Hirshberg in 1998 based on his experience growing Stonyfield Farm, Inc., from its humble start as a seven-cow operation in 1983 to its current $323 MM annual sales level. The institute has, in various forms, served hundreds of entrepreneurs by offering a safe, yet stimulating environment to learn about financing, marketing, managing change, and the many other areas that are fundamental to growing an enterprise.

The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire conducts research and analysis on the challenges facing rural families and communities in New Hampshire, New England, and the nation. The Carsey Institute sponsors independent, interdisciplinary research that documents trends and conditions affecting families and communities, providing valuable information and analysis to policymakers, practitioners, the media, and the general public. Through this work, the Carsey Institute contributes to public dialogue on policies that encourage social mobility and sustain healthy, equitable communities. The Carsey Institute was established in May 2002 with a generous gift from UNH alumna and noted television producer Marcy Carsey. Visit us online at http://carseyinstitute.unh.edu/.

The UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide. For more information, visit http://wsbe2.unh.edu/.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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