Jim Moran Institute brings Small Business Executive Program to Tampa Bay
A program to help executives at established small businesses is coming to the Tampa Bay area for the first time.
The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University is bringing its Small Business Executive Program to the area this spring.
A class of 25 executives from companies that are three years or older, and have at least five employees, will meet every other week for four-hour morning meetings, from April 10 through the end of June, at the Small Business Development Center at the Tampa Port Authority in Channelside.
The programs have previously been held in north Florida and in south Florida, said Shane Smith, director of the Jim Moran Institute’s Central Florida operations. They’re designed to fill in a resource gap for companies that are no longer startups but need help with issues such as growing to the next level, employment issues, exit planning or refocusing their business.
The cohort of 25 will not include any competitors. For instance, if a shoe manufacturer were chosen to take part, he or she would be the only shoe manufacturer participating in the class.
The classes will be taught by subject matter experts with experience in running a business, or by service providers, such as bankers talking about financial planning, Smith said.
There’s no cost. The program is funded by a gift left by the late Jim Moran, an entrepreneur who founded JM Family Enterprises, a Deerfield Park-based auto dealership company and one of the largest privately owned firms in Florida.
Applications are available here. The deadline to apply is March 22 and those accepted into the program will be notified by March 29.
Smith expects to launch a second cohort in the fall in St. Petersburg, likely at The Greenhouse.
