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

The event will be held April 26-27, 2012, at the Courtyard Marriott Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

The Stonyfield 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 is run jointly by Hirshberg and Michael Swack, a faculty member at the Whittemore School and a member of the research faculty at The Carsey Institute.

This year's program includes sessions on finance, branding, and social media marketing. On Friday, April 27, the program 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.

Speakers will include Tom First, founder of OWater and co-founder of Nantucket Nectars; Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Stonyfield Farm; Meg Hirshberg of Inc. Magazine; and Andrew Whitman of 2X Consumer Products.

The institute is sponsored by Stonyfield Farm; The Carsey Institute; New Hampshire Business Review; Sheehan, Phinney, Bass and Green PA; Devine Millimet; Hinkley Allen Snyder LLP; Checkmate Payroll; Preti Flaherty; the Community Development Finance Authority; the Whittemore School of Business and Economics; and Citizens Bank.

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. Contact the hotel at 603-225-0303 or 1-800-321-2211 for more information.

Deadline for submitting case studies is Friday, March 30, 2012. Institute registration deadline is April 2, 2012. For more information, including a complete agenda, and registration, visit the Stonyfield Entrepreneurship Institute at http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/SEI.html, or contact Susan Colucci at susan.colucci@unh.edu or 603-862-2821.

The Stonyfield 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 $359 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

ncourage 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. For more information, visit 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://wsbe.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 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

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