Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Verizon Present First Small Business Week May 13-17 to Celebrate Region's Small Businesses

PHILADELPHIA, April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and Verizon will present Greater Philadelphia's inaugural Small Business Week May 13–17, celebrating and recognizing the critical contributions of the Greater Philadelphia region's more than 150,000 small businesses.

The 2013 Small Business Week will feature a series of events allowing small-business owners to gain insights to better run their business and opportunities to network, including:

• May 14: Small Business Week Educational Workshop – GPCC offices, DiBona Room, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Delivering Exceptional Customer Service.  The panel discussion will focus on the best techniques to connect with clients and deliver exceptional customer service. The workshop is free for chamber members and $35 for nonmembers.
• May 16: Small Business Webinar presented by Verizon – Denise Hart, author and executive momentum coach, will host a free webinar, Defining Your Don't Quit Attitude – For Business Owners, at 2 p.m.  The webinar, part of the Verizon Live Business Webinar series, will be accessible anywhere there is broadband access.  Anyone interested in participating can register online at www.verizon.com/webinar. 
• May 17: Keynote Event: Create Contagious Content for Your Business – Jonah Berger, author of "Contagious: Why Things Catch On" and one of the world's foremost experts on what goes viral and why, will deliver the week's keynote program, Create Contagious Content for Your Business.  Berger, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, studies social epidemics, or how products, ideas and behaviors catch on and become popular. He is an expert on how individual decision-making and social dynamics between people generate collective outcomes such as social contagion and trends. The event will be held at the WHYY Studios in downtown Philadelphia from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The registration fee for the event is $45 for Chamber of Commerce members and $90 for nonmembers.  Attendees also will receive a free copy of Berger's book. 

Every year since 1963, the president of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small-business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.

"Small and local businesses are the foundation of our region's economy," said Rob Wonderling, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. "The chamber is dedicated to facilitating a business-friendly climate that allows owners and entrepreneurs to grow and create jobs. We look forward to celebrating the success of the region's small businesses throughout this week."

As part of the Small Business Week celebration, Verizon "Street Team" events will be held at various locations across the city.  Verizon representatives will promote the Small Business Week activities, including Friday's keynote event with Jonah Berger.  In addition, the Street Teams will give away prizes.  For locations and other details, follow the teams on Twitter on @Verizon and @PhillyChamber.

Tim Smith, Verizon region president of consumer and mass business markets for Pennsylvania and Delaware and a member of the chamber's executive board, said: "We're excited to help bring this first-ever, week-long celebration to the greater Philadelphia region to bring together small businesses in this market, provide them with resources and encourage their growth.  At Verizon, many of our customers are small-business owners, and we are committed to providing the latest solutions and resources that will help advance their business."

More information about the GPCC Small Business Week can be found online at www.gpcc.com/smallbizwk.

The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting regional economic growth, advancing business-friendly public policies, and servicing its members through outstanding programs, benefits and services. As an advocate for regional development, the Chamber is dedicated to supporting and encouraging the continued growth of its 5,000 member companies together with the regional business community. The Chamber strives to influence business-friendly legislation in all levels of government, participate in initiatives to improve education and the community, present professional enrichment programs, and provide our members with cost-efficient ways to run their businesses. For more information, visit: www.greaterphilachamber.com.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 99 million retail connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with nearly $116 billion in 2012 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 181,900.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's online News Center at newscenter.verizon.com.  The news releases are available through an RSS feed.  To subscribe, visit newscenter.verizon.com/corporate/feeds.

SOURCE Verizon