Corporate wire

-(Corporate Wire)- MINNEAPOLIS, MN (April 22, 2008) — The Small Business Expo & Conference, one of the largest small business events in the Midwest, is holding it’s 10th annual event at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Thursday, May 15, from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. The theme this year is helping small businesses weather the current economic climate. The expo is sponsored by the American Association of MicroBusinesses (AAM), a non-profit professional association and resource for microbusinesses and entrepreneurs.

Keynote Presentations:
Betsy Buckley, President and Chief Rainmaker, What Matters
Be Your Best Rainmaker: Use Your Strengths to Bring in More Revenue, Profits and Clients...9:00am–10:00am
Attendees to this highly interactive rainmaking session will be able to map their own 100-day EveryDayRain™ action plan. And take back a rainstick to keep it pouring.

Carr Hagerman, Professional Street Performer, Co-Author of Top Performer – a Bold Approach to Sales and Service, part-time Rat Catcher
Top Performer, a Bold Approach to Sales and Service...1:00pm–2:00pm
Carr Hagerman has taken the lessons learned from 30 years as a professional street performer on the best ways to harness and release natural energy to help grow people and companies.

Featured Presentations:
Nicole Middendorf, CDFA, CDS, Owner, Strategic Financial, Inc., Host of "More Than Money" on FM 107.1 WFMP
Managing Your Money Personally and Professionally...10:30am–11:25am
Nicole Middendorf has become a media "go to" financial expert. She is featured weekly on television stations KSTP and WCCO.

Gene Marks, “The Penny Pincher,” author of Streetwise Small Business Book Of Lipmsts, columnist for American City Business Journals, Forbes.com.
Penny Pinching Tips for Small Business Owners...11:30am–12:30
Gene Marks writes a bi-weekly column for Forbes.com called Quicker! Better! Wiser! He also writes a bi-weekly column, The Penny Pincher's Almanac, which appears nationally in American City Business Journals.

John Risdall, Chairman/CEO, Risdall Marketing Group, LLC (RMG)
Don't Be a Victim of Economic Circumstance, Create Your Own Outcome...2:15pm–3:10pm
As the head of one the state’s oldest agencies, John Risdall oversees RMG's 12 major divisions including Minnesota’s #1 web developer, the 5th largest PR firm and the 7th largest ad agency.

Steven Schussler, Founder and Chairman, Schussler Creative, Inc., founder and creator of Rainforest Cafe and T-REX
Passion and Enthusiasm: The Most Powerful Engines of Success...3:15pm–4:10pm
As founder and creator of Rainforest Cafe and T-REX, Steve Schussler has a passion for conceiving concepts that appeal to the masses. Schussler Creative, Inc. is currently developing seven additional themed entertainment venues. He was also recently featured in an interview on CNBC's The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch.

45-minute Workshops will be held throughout the day with a "start-up” track and an "established" track of small-business topics:

Terry Slattery—Differentiating Value: Translating Competitive Advantage Into Cash...10:30am-11:15am
Patricia Buttweiler—IRS Resources and Services...10:30am-11:15am
Don Raleigh—This Isn’t Your Father’s Internet...Marketing In the Age of Web 2.0...11:30am–12:3pm
Roger Belfay—Traps and Pitfalls in Intellectual Property Law...11:30am–12:30pm
Mick Lunzer—Top Performing Teamwork...2:15pm–3:00pm
Pamela Muldoon—Five Ways to Grow Any Business...2:15pm–3:00pm
Sam Richter—Is Your Business Consultant Some Yahoo Named Google?...3:15pm–4:00pm
Jeffrey Millunzi—Big Tax Savings for Small and Home-Based Businesses...3:15pm–4:00pm

Advance tickets are $35 and may be purchased at http://www.usamicrobiz.org or at the door for $40.

For more information on the Small Business Expo & Conference, go to http://www.USAMicroBiz.org/expo or call 612-721-4249. To arrange an interview with a speaker, call Bonnie Stanley at 612-721-4249.

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