2013 Entrepreneur 'Boot Camp' Set for May 28-29

Monday, April 29, 2013

DURHAM, N.H. - The Carsey Institute and the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire will present the Stonyfield Entrepreneurship Institute, a "boot camp" for community-minded entrepreneurs May 28-29, 2013, at the Courtyard Marriott Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

The institute offers an intensive 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, faculty member at Paul College.

This year's program includes sessions on finance, marketing, understanding the triple bottom line, and digital media. On Tuesday, May 28, 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 Shazi Visram, founder and CEO of Happy Family; Gary Hirshberg, co-founder and chairman of Stonyfield Farm, Inc.; and Andrew Whitman of 2X Consumer Products Growth Partners.

The institute is sponsored by Stonyfield Farm, Inc.; the Carsey Institute at UNH; New Hampshire Business Review; Preti Flaherty; FoodForce; the Community Development Finance Authority; Alpha Loft; the New Hampshire Innovation and Commercialization Center; Idea Greenhouse; ABI Innovation Hub; and the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

Cost to attend the institute is $275. Tuesday lunch and dinner and Wednesday continental 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 800-321-2211 for more information.

Conference registration deadline is May 10, 2013. For more information, including a complete agenda, and registration, visit the Stonyfield Entrepreneurship Institute at http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/sei, 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 $370 million 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 UNH 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. For more information, visit http://carseyinstitute.unh.edu/.

The UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, information systems management, entrepreneurship, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The college is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide.

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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