NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The Piney Woods Entrepreneurship Network will hold its second meet-up for community members, small business owners, entrepreneurs and Stephen F. Austin State University students from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at Barkeeps, located at 3308 North St. in Nacogdoches.

Hosted by SFA’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship in the Nelson Rusche College of Business, this network brings together East Texans in an informal setting to learn from each other and promote new venture creation and growth inside and outside SFA.

“The network brings together lawyers, accountants, bankers, investors, entrepreneurs and students once a month in a location somewhere in the region,” said Matthew Smilor, the center’s director. “It’s a good environment for new and experienced entrepreneurs, small business owners, community members and students to learn from one another.”

The Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship enables new collaboration among a variety of academic disciplines as well as new avenues for partnership with businesses and industry throughout the state. 

The Small Business Resource Hub, which is a part of ACE, works to promote economic growth, innovation and expansion within the small business community. Services for small businesses include loan proposals, marketing, retailing, advertising, budgeting, business planning and personnel management.

ACE and SBRH are two of four entities launched recently by the Rusche College of Business to help bolster local businesses. The others are Business and Community Services and the Center for Business and Economic Research.

For more information, email Smilor at matthew.smilor@sfasu.edu or visit the ACE website.


ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY 
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more by visiting the SFA website.