2023 AEO National Conference

May 1 - May 3
Detroit, Michigan
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OVERVIEW

AEO’s 2023 National Conference, (Re)route: Reconnecting the Ecosystem, is a rally point for small business advocates, microlenders, and small business owners to propose practical and policy solutions that can catalyze tangible progress toward economic inclusion for all. Including small business owners for the first time in AEO’s history, this year’s conference will feature working groups on critical topics, tailored tracks for business owners and practitioners, and insightful plenary sessions.

In the spirit of re-routing, AEO is headed back to Detroit, a city known for its resilience and transformative innovation. As we immerse in this hub of ingenuity, AEO will chart a new course toward actionable strategies that unify key actors to bring about deep and lasting impact for Main Street.

REGISTRATION

Registration is now closed we look forward to reconnecting with you!

The following items are included with in-person conference registration:

  • Admission to all in-person general sessions and workshops
  • Admission to plenary sessions
  • Access to luncheons and networking breaks
  • Admission to Awards Luncheon
  • Daily coffee breaks and light refreshments in the Expo Hall
  • Complimentary shuttle service between hotel and special events

ACCOMMODATIONS

The Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center will serve as the official hotel for (Re)route: Reconnecting the Ecosystem. Located in Downtown Detroit, the Renaissance Center is right along the waterfront in the heart of the entertainment district.

This hotel is now closed to new reservations. If you would like to see if there are other options, please call our reservation center 800-352-0831.

LOCATION

This year’s AEO Conference will take place in Detroit, Michigan at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

Detroit is the country’s largest Black-majority city, boasting 50,000 Black businesses along with thriving Arab American and Latino communities. A city that embraces risk-taking entrepreneurs and creative incubators, Detroit is the ideal place to host this year’s conference as we share innovation across the ecosystem.

AGENDA

Greetings! We invite you to explore this year’s conference agenda. Take advantage of pre-conference activities designed to share with attendees the latest business data from leading researchers in the field, help them master in-demand skills from experienced trainers, and build collaborative networks with colleagues. Our conference agenda features illuminating plenary sessions, fireside chats, and discussions with distinguished thought leaders, dynamic networking and social events, and informative and collaborative working groups and intensives designed to elevate businesses of all sizes to the next level.

MONDAY, MAY 1, 2023

Pre-conference Activities

Enjoy a moment of enlightenment during the inaugural AEO Research Summit at this year’s 2023 AEO National Conference.

Hear directly from an exclusive gathering of esteemed researchers who are focused on small business trends and data-driven approaches to problem-solving across the ecosystem. This event will feature robust panel discussions and the audience will enjoy direct engagement during Q&A. Attendees will experience engaging thought leadership, insights, and findings that can inform and empower businesses of all sizes, as well as the organizations that serve them. This exclusive pre-conference event is limited to 75 attendees.

Centered on expanding capacity through learning, this year’s conference features specialized content to build core knowledge and in-demand skills through the AEO Training Institute.

Expert trainers will guide attendees through a variety of topics for organization leaders and entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. Training sessions will focus on a wide range of topics such as management skills, organizational culture, coalition building, people skills, and more. Attendees will leave the AEO Training Institute equipped with actionable insights, tools, and skills that can be put into practice immediately within their organizations and programs.

Build new contacts and find new partners right in your own AEO Region at this year’s AEO Regional Meetings!

AEO Regions are divided into five geographic regions across the country: West, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast and South. Learn about special opportunities in your region and how you can stay involved and connected all year-long.

TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2023

Breakfast

8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

This year’s conference kicks off with a robust and timely conversation focusing on this year’s theme (Re)Route: Reconnecting the Ecosystem.

Attendees will be welcomed to the City of Detroit with an address from Kala Gibson, Executive Vice President, Head of Business Banking & Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Fifth Third Bank. Following a grand opening, AEO President and CEO Connie Evans will host enlightening conversations with a variety of dynamic leaders across industry sectors on how they’ve had to reconnect and reroute their priorities to solve today’s multiple challenges facing the business community in the post-pandemic era.

This plenary session provides an inside look at how political leaders are getting small business policy right at the local level.

This session will feature a robust discussion with mayors from urban, suburban, and rural settings. Attendees will have an opportunity to hear what has worked in each local economy, and gain insight into how these bipartisan strategies and initiatives can be expanded, as well as how practitioners and small businesses can access them.

The Innovation Hour

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM

Join AEO for the Innovation Hour, an open forum where attendees will have the opportunity to forge connections across the ecosystem with curated networking experiences.

Networking Lunch & Congressional Remarks

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

In this wide-ranging discussion, business and policy leaders discuss how today’s entrepreneurs can find solutions to navigate the multitude of post-pandemic business challenges.

From lingering supply chain issues, talent shortages, and ongoing inflation, this conversation will uncover fresh insights and actionable solutions that can be applied to businesses and organizations of all sizes.

Networking Break & Congressional Remarks

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

**Each topical area has an urban and rural track.
The AEO Working Groups provide a unique opportunity for practitioners to share their expertise and build new networks with fellow colleagues.

Attendees will have the opportunity to bring their own on the ground observations and insights to help each other jointly problem solve collective issues. Each will collaborate  through a variety of topics including credit building and lending, retaining labor, consumer financial products, and special challenges for both rural and urban practitioners. Additionally, the working groups provide a collaborative space for attendees to share ideas and ideate solutions to be tested in the field well after the conference has ended. Working groups will meet twice during the conference. Each attendee will select one Working Group and one track (urban or rural) within that group to ensure an iterative and robust discussion of solutions, high-impact practices, and lessons learned.

  1. The Gospel “Not” According to FICO: New Models of Creditworthiness
    Discuss innovative funding opportunities outside of traditional financing entities.

    1. Lending Differently
    2. Revenue Based Underwriting (Common Futures)
    3. Partnerships with Fintech Small Business Lenders
  2. The Modern Economy: Supporting Entrepreneurs Through Evolving Challenges
    Find solutions to current business challenges from staffing, marketing, and pricing.

    1. Modern Jobs: Retaining Labor
    2. From Digital to Data to Dollars
    3. The Cost Factor
  3. Economic Mobility: Uncommon Partnerships for Wealth Building
    Discover ways to build wealth through unique products and unconventional strategies.

    1. Leveraging Consumer Financial Products
    2. Competitor-to-Partner Models of Collaboration
    3. New Strategies for Assessing Impact
  4. Shifting Ground: Special Challenges for Urban and Rural Practitioners
    Gain shared perspectives on how lending and population shifts impact both rural and urban communities.

    1. Changing Lending Products as Entrepreneurs Change Course
    2. Personalizing Technical Assistance through Trusted Guidance
    3. Managing Capacity Amid Population Fluctuations

The AEO Small Business Intensives will allow business leaders to gain new strategies and expertise.

The AEO Small Business Intensives will inform and inspire business owners to achieve their long-term goals and empower them to position themselves as true leaders in their communities. These interactive and informative opportunities will focus on finding new lenders, building marketing and branding skills, practical management advice and understanding government contracting at the local level.

  1. Prepare and Pursue: Helping Lenders Help You
  2. Demystifying Government Contracting: Unveiling Federal Opportunities at the Local Level

Welcome Reception

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2023

Breakfast & Policy Briefing

8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

Through a collaboration with The Modern Economy Project, attendees will gain first-hand insights on the value and importance of 1099 or independent contractors in the micro business ecosystem.

The session will open with an unveiling of preliminary findings from AEO’s groundbreaking research on today’s 1099 workers, followed by a showcase of independent contractors who will share their experiences in the workplace. Finally, attendees will hear from leading policy makers on how government policies at all levels must elevate and support both businesses and the 1099 workers that they hire.

The AEO Small Business Intensives will allow business leaders to gain new strategies and expertise.

The AEO Small Business Intensives will inform and inspire business owners to achieve their long-term goals and empower them to position themselves as true leaders in their communities. These interactive and informative opportunities will focus on finding new lenders, building marketing and branding skills, practical management advice and understanding government contracting at the local level.

  1. From Chief Everything Officer to Chief Executive Officer: Working ON the Business, Not IN the Business
  2. Upskill to Scale Up: How Marketing, Branding, and Digital Literacy Catalyze Growth

**Each topical area has an urban and rural track.

The AEO Working Groups provide a unique opportunity for practitioners to share their expertise and build new networks with fellow colleagues.

Attendees will have the opportunity to bring their own on the ground observations and insights to help each other jointly problem solve collective issues. Each will collaborate  through a variety of topics including credit building and lending, retaining labor, consumer financial products, and special challenges for both rural and urban practitioners. Additionally, the working groups provide a collaborative space for attendees to share ideas and ideate solutions to be tested in the field well after the conference has ended. Working groups will meet twice during the conference. Each attendee will select one Working Group and one track (urban or rural) within that group to ensure an iterative and robust discussion of solutions, high-impact practices, and lessons learned.

  1. The Gospel “Not” According to FICO: New Models of Creditworthiness
    Discuss innovative funding opportunities outside of traditional financing entities.

    1. Lending Differently
    2. Revenue Based Underwriting (Common Futures)
    3. Partnerships with Fintech Small Business Lenders
  2. The Modern Economy: Supporting Entrepreneurs Through Evolving Challenges
    Find solutions to current business challenges from staffing, marketing, and pricing.

    1. Modern Jobs: Retaining Labor
    2. From Digital to Data to Dollars
    3. The Cost Factor
  3. Economic Mobility: Uncommon Partnerships for Wealth Building
    Discover ways to build wealth through unique products and unconventional strategies.

    1. Leveraging Consumer Financial Products
    2. Competitor-to-Partner Models of Collaboration
    3. New Strategies for Assessing Impact
  4. Shifting Ground: Special Challenges for Urban and Rural Practitioners
    Gain shared perspectives on how lending and population shifts impact both rural and urban communities.

    1. Changing Lending Products as Entrepreneurs Change Course
    2. Personalizing Technical Assistance through Trusted Guidance
    3. Managing Capacity Amid Population Fluctuations

This year AEO celebrates leaders from every segment of the ecosystem who have built a legacy of finding innovative and collaborative ways to make a lasting impact on Main Street.

Attendees will hear from each awardee as they share their reflections on the evolution of the ecosystem and the future of Main Street. Featuring fine cuisine and eng aging entertainment, this celebration will be one to remember.

This year’s AEO Conference concludes with powerful and thought-provoking orators, who share their insights on how everyone can work together to create practical and transformative solutions that will make a lasting impact on Main Street. 

Attendees will leave this year’s conference inspired, equipped, and empowered to reconnect the ecosystem.

Honorees

Isabella Casillas Guzman

Administrator

U.S. Small Business Administration

Everett Sands

CEO

Lendistry

Ron Busby Sr.

President and CEO

U.S. Black Chambers

Jay Bailey

President and CEO

HJ Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

Dan Schulman

President and CEO

PayPal

Ron Fong

Executive Director

Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Collaborative

Featured Speakers

Rep. Rashida Tlaib

D-MI

United States Congress

Rep. Debbie Dingell

D-MI

United States Congress

Donna M. Ragucci

SES Executive Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

Department of the Treasury

Jonathan Bowles

Executive Director

Center for an Urban Future

Maude Toussaint

Senior Policy Economist

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Paul Disselkoen

Senior Associate, Public Affairs & Strategic Research

PayPal

Sharen Rooks

Creative Director

Power Media Solutions

Trina Shanks

Director of Community Engagement; Founding Director, Center for Equitable Family & Community Well-Being

University of Michigan

Rep. Shri Thanedar

D-MI

United States Congress

Mayor Sheldon Neeley

Flint, MI

Mayor Roslyn Grafstein

Madison Heights, MI

Mayor Marcus Muhammad

Benton Harbor, MI

Mayor Michele Hodges

Grosse Pointe Park, MI

Mayor Melanie Piana

Ferndale, MI

Mia Ambrose-Burbank

President, Co-Founder

VMS365

Chris Wheat

President

JP Morgan Chase Institute

Ron Busby Sr.

President and CEO

U.S.Black Chambers

Rob Fairlie

Professor of Economics

University of California, Santa Cruz

Ron Fong

Executive Director

Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Collaborative

Amanda Bloudeau

Chief Strategy Officer

Northan Initiatives

Dani Robbins

Director of Governance Strategy

BoardSource

Gustavo Lasala

President & CEO

PeopleFund

Germaine McIver-Cherry

Sr. Program Director

African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs

Navia McCloud

Senior Vice President

Fifth Third Bank

Ines Polonius

CEO

Communities Unlimited

Mitch Jacobs

CEO & Founder

Plink

John Stanford

Managing Partner

Prism Group

Lori Smith

Senior Research Associate

Association for Enterprise Opportunity

Donald Cravins

Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development

U.S. Department of Commerce

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