weVENTURE Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech Launches Program for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

By  //  January 14, 2021

Sebastian-based Program Director Amber Batchelor Leads Expansion of Services

weVENTURE Women’s Business Center in the Bisk College of Business at Florida Tech, which offers services and support to entrepreneurs in Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie counties, will start offering weekly consultation opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs from locations in Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach. (Florida Tech image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – weVENTURE Women’s Business Center in the Bisk College of Business at Florida Tech, which offers services and support to entrepreneurs in Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie counties, will start offering weekly consultation opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs from locations in Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach.

These regional workdays will allow local entrepreneurs to have in-person or virtual consultations with Program Director Amber Batchelor or a weVENTURE WBC business coach.

weVENTURE WBC also plans to begin hosting in-person training for limited groups of clients in compliance with social distancing guidelines.

The Sebastian-based Batchelor, who joined weVENTURE WBC in June 2020, is the former president and CEO of the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce.

She serves on the boards of United Way of Indian River County, Sebastian River Medical Center, Vero Beach Wine + Film Festival and the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce and has been named a member of Impact 100 of Indian River County.

Batchelor brings local know-how and a national business resume, including past work at Oracle in Silicon Valley and UPS, to the new regional workdays program.

The Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County, 500 NW California Blvd. in Port St. Lucie, will host Batchelor with office and conference room space during the first and third weeks of every month.

COLAB, Vero Beach’s downtown work and community-based office space located at 1150 19th St., will host the workdays on the second and fourth weeks of the month.

“With our headquarters in Brevard County, we believe it is essential that we meet our clients and prospective clients safely where they are, in their own communities,” said Kathryn Rudloff, executive director of weVENTURE WBC.

“We want the business communities across our service region to know we are within reach when they are ready, and this is an example of our commitment to expanding services on the Treasure Coast in 2021 and beyond.”

Peter Tesch, president of the St. Lucie EDC, said he welcomes the services, outreach,

and passion weVENTURE WBC brings.

weVENTURE WBC is a program of Florida Tech’s Bisk College of Business. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is focused on providing technical assistance, business education, and entrepreneurial training to women interested in launching a new venture or growing their existing businesses. (Florida Tech image)

“We were amazed at the willingness and enthusiasm that weVENTURE WBC displayed in helping our local businesses hardest hit during the pandemic,” he said.

“It is our great pleasure to collaborate with these resourceful business experts in their upcoming educational and technical assistance series. The EDC applauds their efforts to support the growth and prosperity of women-, minority- and veteran-owned enterprises.”

weVENTURE WBC is a program of Florida Tech’s Bisk College of Business. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is focused on providing technical assistance, business education, and entrepreneurial training to women interested in launching a new venture or growing their existing businesses.

The public is invited to schedule a free business consultation session with Batchelor or business coach Jeannette Kraar by calling 321-674-7007 or emailing weventure@fit.edu.

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