PowerLinkPittsburgh

Wonderful article featuring PowerLink today by Joyce Gannon of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2017/05/26/powerlink-nonprofit-small-business-assistance-pittsburgh/stories/201705180004

Had a great turnout at the Penn State Think Tank

If you missed it...


Cris Kostiuk of Appollo Ridge Education Foundation presented on her business challenge - even as a nonprofit, she understands the need to think like a business.

A panel of serial entrepreneurs, for profit and nonprofit executives provided the presenter with a brain-trust that could question and probe to uncover the challenge or opportunity.

Tammy Davis of Nexlevel Consulting Services, LLC, who is currently working with a PowerLink Advisory Board, also presented during the second half of the program.

Thanks to the Penn State SBDC, the panelists and the great audience participation. We are excited to see many business owners at the PowerLink CEO Circle on June 20, 2017 from 3 - 5 pm at Penn State SBDC. For info contact Dana Mattern at dana@powerlink.org.

Calling all Corporations Small - and especially - BIG
Pittsburgh Entrepreneurs Forum needs YOU to build a better ecosystem on par with other cities for tech based, high potential companies. Attend the
Corporate Startup Champions Event
May 11, 2017Time: 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Location: Truefit, Union Trust Building (Auditorium), 501 Grant Street, Suite 1025, Pittsburgh
Parking: Mellon Garage or street parking
Corporate support for a region's entrepreneur sector can make all the difference in growing the economy and attracting and retaining talent. Learn how the CEO of Proctor & Gamble took the lead in raising what is now a $58 million fund for startups. Hear what large corporations are doing to support (and benefit from) local startups. Could this happen in Pittsburgh?
Evening includes networking and appetizers, introductions, panel discussion with Q&A and the award for the first startup champion voted as most deserving by area startups.
Click HERE to read more and to Register.

Our PowerLink Connect the Dots Series will highlight those individuals we honored at our 25th Anniversary Party last week 

Where it all started 25 years ago...
the story of PowerLink...
two women got together, saw a need, 
and found a way to address it - together!

After ten years of working for the family business, Barb bought her family trucking company from her widowed mother. Because she was surrounded by men in the trucking business, she enjoyed mentoring women business owners. She was named Women’s Business Advocate of the year by the SBA in 1991. On the day that she was featured in the Pittsburgh Business Times, she received a phone call from a female management consultant at Price Waterhouse who read the story. Over lunch the two women compared notes on how small and emerging women-owned companies were isolated from good advice and did not have access to really-sharp and insightful executives who could help them grow. The Price Waterhouse consultant had the same drive - to help wom…

From One Owner to Another… by Anita Brattina
In a prior blog, I told you I was one of two companies lucky enough to receive the help of PowerLink in its first year. You probably wondered who the other company was – it was owned by Andrea Fitting – can you guess the name of her business?

Andrea was one of two companies that got a knock on their door in 1992 to receive a very special gift: a PowerLink Advisory Board. Andrea knew Barb Moore and trusted her. And the truth was, she was struggling with her marketing and branding company, Fitting Communications. The idea of having 6 corporate executives, a CEO, and a facilitator helping her run her company in a corporate board format with no fiduciary involvement seemed amazing to her. Why did she deserve such a high-powered team of people for such a low fee? (PowerLink calculates the value of staff time and donated time at 175 hours of time per year @$100/hour is a $17,500 of consulting time per year… a current PowerLink board can be awarded …

With a little help from our referral partners...

This Monday evening April 24th at The Coterie downtown (click here to register), PowerLink honors 27 individuals who have made a unique impact through their involvement with PowerLink. In today's blog, we celebrate 3 of the 27 honorees who represent PowerLink referral partners. Referral partners introduce us to, and connect us with, prospective business owners and entrepreneurs that may benefit from a PowerLink program. We are grateful to ALL of our referral partners and look forward to welcoming new partners in the years to come...

Aaron Aldrich, Bridgeway Capital: As part of our development years and growth years, Bridgeway Capital, founded by Mark Peterson, grew up side by side with PowerLink during almost the same 25 years. But the reason we are honoring Bridgeway Capital’s Aaron Aldrich is that he personally got involved when one of our PowerLink companies needed help. About a year ago, the owner of a local technology company, th…