Catawba Valley Community College’s Accounting & Finance, Business Administration, and Office Administration Programs will host its second annual week-long Business Symposium February 3 through 6. This year’s event focuses on creative economies and the individuals who have pursued their passion in it.

The Business Symposium shares key ingredients for career success in fields where creativity meets commerce. All sessions are free and open to the public and will be held in the Workforce Solutions Complex on the main campus on US Hwy. 70 SE in Hickory.

Headline speaker is novelist, playwright and screen writer Bob Inman. Well known for his many years as a newscaster for Charlotte’s WBTV, Inman began pursuing his creative writing career in 1996. He has won numerous awards for his screenplays and television scripts.

Sessions on a variety of topics will be held, from starting a business to how successful business owners thrive in a competitive economy. Many sessions are led by CVCC alumni. Detailed information on all sessions and presenters can be viewed on the web at: http://www.cvcc.edu/Events/CVCC-Business-Symposium.cfm.

Monday, Feb. 3, 9 a.m., Separating Yourself and Expanding Your Business Thinking, presented by David Williams, owner of Plush Kutz Barber Shop and Hickory City Councilman.

Monday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m., So You Want to Start a Business? presented by Jeff Neuville, director of CVCC’s Small Business Center; Spenser Clark, owner of Red Fox Gaming and CVCC alumnus; and Carmen Eckard, founder and editor of Foothills Digest.

Tuesday, February 4, 11 a.m., Career Wisdom from Five CVCC Alumni, featuring panelists Danielle Riley Aaron, owner of Danielle Riley Photography in Raleigh; David Brown III, creative director of the Green Room Community Theatre in Newton; Ron Skinner, minister of music at Mountain View Baptist Church in Hickory; Michael Stiles, founder and owner of One Pixel World, LLC; and Bradley Madison, founder and owner of Madison BIM Consulting, LLC, in Mooresville.

Tuesday, February 4, 2 p.m., Where Art Meets Commerce, presented by Robert Inman.

Wednesday, February 5, 10 a.m., “You Mean I Get Paid to Do This?” presented by Kim Ray, faculty member of CVCC’s Music Department.

Wednesday, February 5, noon, Everything They Don’t Teach You in Dental School, presented by Dr. Michael Cordora.

Wednesday, February 5, 2 p.m., How to Make a Living as an Artist, presented by CVCC arts faculty members Jennifer Cobb, Carolina Simyon, Kim Stinson, Jeff Kiefer and Joe Young.

Thursday, February 6, 9 a.m., How to Qualify as a Minority Owned Business and How It Can Benefit Me, presented by Richard Tucker, Native American and owner of Commercial Fabricators in Newton.

Thursday, February 6, noon, Resume and Job Interview Workshop, presented by Nick Plemmons and Martha Carrillo, staff members of CVCC’s Center for Workforce Connectivity & Talent Development.

Thursday, February 6, 6 p.m., Successful Leadership in Today’s Creative Economy, presented by Jordan Schindler, founder of Textile-Based Delivery, an incubator client at CVCC’s Manufacturing Solutions Center; Kimberly George, Vice President of Communications and Corporate Citizenship for Alex Lee, Inc.; Alan Jackson, Strategic Director of Jackson Creative in Hickory; and Vickie Martin, Managing Partner and Founder of Martin Starnes & Associates, CPA.

The event is underwritten by the CVCC Foundation, Inc., and First Citizens Bank.

All events are free; participants are encouraged to register for sessions at http://bit.ly/20BusSympReg.

For more information about the event, contact Dr. Darcie Tumey, at [email protected], or Christy Lefevers, at [email protected].