Building Bridges for Business Anticipates Another Sold-out Crowd At For Sale: Opportunity Franchising Event On October 9

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald to speak at event in Downtown Pittsburgh's Fairmont Hotel designed to connect established franchises with potential franchisees.

Pittsburgh (I-Newswire) September 12, 2012 - Building Bridges for Business – a not-for-profit organization aimed at empowering and educating Pittsburgh’s small business owners – is expecting another sold-out event on October 9 between 4:30pm and 8:00 pm EST at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. They are hosting For Sale: Opportunity, intended to connect established franchisors, funding on the spot with a new loan program, 401k funding experts, finding space for the business, and potential franchisees and business owners.

“Franchises have long been an important component in the structure of American business,” said Linda Handley, founder, Building Bridges for Business. “Four out of five franchises succeed where as one out of five small businesses succeed after five years.” Franchises provide over 9.8 million jobs with a payroll of over $229 billion according to the International Franchise Association (IFA).

At the event, built around networking opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs, Rich Fitzgerald, Executive, Allegheny County, will deliver a message on the current state of locally owned small businesses. “Rich’s passion for small business development and sustainability in Allegheny County has been unprecedented,” stated Amanda Wodzenski President of Building Bridges. “We’re excited to hear him speak and know he will provide regional small business owners with insights, information and resources from a governmental perspective.”

In addition to providing franchises with an established presence in the Pittsburgh region with growth opportunities, the event will also target new opportunities for franchises outside of the Pittsburgh market and potential local franchisees. “We are hopeful this will be an opportunity for new franchises to partner with local entrepreneurs and drive new business to our region and tri-state area,” Handley said. “It is apparent that Pittsburgh is experiencing significant economic growth, and this event will serve as a wonderful opportunity for national franchises to partner with local business leaders.”

Previous Building Bridges for Business events include Small Business Works, held at the Kingsley Center in Pittsburgh’s East End in 2011 and 2012, Young Entrepreneurs held at GOOGLE Pittsburgh, and Welcome to Oz, held at downtown Pittsburgh’s Fairmont Hotel in October 2011 and featuring Dr. Winslow Sargeant, Obama’s chief of advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration. All of the organization’s previous events have sold out.

Partners for For Sale: Opportunity include, the Allegheny County Executive’s Office, the City of Pittsburgh, the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University and the Small Business Development Center at Duquesne University. Major sponsors are Positively Pittsburgh Live, Brunnhuber and Associates, Comcast Business Class, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Staples, Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh Business Times and Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association. Interested participants can register for the event on Building Bridges for Business’ website (www.buildingbridgesforbusiness.org). To learn more, follow Building Bridges for Business (@bridges4biz) on Twitter or contact Building Bridges for Business via e-mail at info@buildingbridgesforbusiness.org.

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