Chuck E. Cheese Founder to Speak at MicroEnterprise Graduation

NAPLES, Fla. - June 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Seven aspiring entrepreneurs will be graduating from The Goodwill Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Institute on Wednesday, June 19.  The ceremony will take place at the Naples Chamber of Commerce (2390 Tamiami Trail North, Naples).

The Goodwill Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Institute is a training program to help emerging entrepreneurs start new ventures and grow small businesses. Graduates complete a 12-module business and management training course over six weeks, and work with mentors who are successful businesspersons.  

Chuck E. Cheese founder and Naples resident Gene Landrum, Ph.D. will deliver the keynote address at the graduation. Landrum has started five businesses, and is a member of the CEO Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame.

“We are thrilled to have someone as successful as Dr. Landrum come and speak at the graduation,” says Elliott Rittenhouse, director of MicroEnterprise. “He will provide valuable advice to our graduates as they prepare to potentially start their own businesses.”

Landrum is the author of 20 books on entrepreneurship, and currently is a teacher on entrepreneurship as part of the MBA program at Hodges University in Southwest Florida.

Graduates Marla Benoist, Doris Dunmars, Travis Hanrahan, Nicholas James, Debroah Lasek, Shemnon Miyamoto, and Stephanie Robbins will receive their certificates symbolizing their completion of the small business training course. Business ideas include home inspections, digital conversion of photographs, and autism behavioral training.

Session facilitator Joanne Show, and session coach Neftail Espinosa will also be present at the graduation. This session of the MicroEnterprise program is sponsored by Central Bank Southwest Florida.

The Goodwill Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Institute is administrated by Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida and is part of Goodwill’s mission to help people with disabilities and disadvantages overcome their barriers to employment and independence. To learn more about the SWFL MicroEnterprise Institute, please visit www.goodwillswfl.org/microenterprise or (239) 995-2106 ext. 2219.

For more information about Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, visit www.goodwillswfl.org.