Centenary University to Host Small Business Summit

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ, Jan. 15, 2025—The Centenary University Institute of Entrepreneurship will host a Small Business Summit on Monday, Feb. 3, from 9 am to 4 pm at the David and Carol Lackland Center on the University’s Hackettstown campus. Presented in partnership with the Hackettstown BID (Business Improvement District), the event is designed to empower small businesses to strengthen and grow.

Workshop sessions will include Design Thinking for Small Business, Using AI in Small Business, Customer Focus & Engagement, LinkedIn for Business Success: Branding and Networking, Paid Digital Advertising, NJEDA Grants and Loans, Business Planning Guidelines, and Zero Based Budgeting. Presenters represent a cross section of experts from Centenary University, the local business community, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The keynote will be delivered by James Howard, executive director of the Black Inventors Hall of Fame Museum and STEM Learning Research Center. A college professor, design historian, entrepreneur, industrial designer, and inventor, he holds 20 patents and was the owner of a popular Morristown restaurant.

Founded in 2024, the Centenary Institute of Entrepreneurship provides business owners and prospective entrepreneurs with coaching and guidance from Centenary faculty, credentialed consultants, and experienced business students. A key part of its mission is to partner with leading business organizations to build a growth environment for small businesses in the Skylands region, as well as the broader New Jersey business community. The institute is the cornerstone of a strategy created to establish the University as an intellectual leader in New Jersey by Centenary University President Dale Caldwell, Ed.D., and Director of the Institute of Entrepreneurship Linda Poisseroux, Ph.D., professor of business and director of the University’s competitive business team, Enactus, which launched the initiative.

The registration fee includes lunch and all event offerings. Early bird registration is $20 per attendee without lunch, or $30 with lunch included. Vendors are $50, which includes one lunch. Early bird pricing ends on Monday, Jan. 27. Register here. For more information, contact Jenna Glinko, assistant director of the Centenary Institute of Entrepreneurship, at jenna.glinko@centenaryuniversity.edu

ABOUT CENTENARY UNIVERSITY

Centenary University offers extraordinary learning opportunities that empower students to develop intellectually, emotionally, and interculturally—keys to career and personal success. Under the leadership of President Dale Caldwell, Ed.D., the University aspires to advance its reputation as a world class institution offering innovative programs, including the world’s first Master of Arts in Happiness Studies, to lift the future for our students and local communities.