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Community Corner

Real Estate Mogul and 'Shark Tank' Celebrity Barbara Corcoran Shares Her Wisdom with Westchester Entrepreneurs

ABC star speaks at The Business Council of Westchester’s KeyBank Speaker Series, kicks off second-annual GROW 2.0 Conference

 

Valhalla, NY – (May 13, 2014) –Barbara Corcoran – one of the country’s most esteemed and revered businesswomen – spoke to a select gathering of Westchester’s business leaders on Friday, May 1 at Westchester Community College (WCC), sharing her wisdom on launching a business, recruiting top talent and growing outstanding companies.

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Corcoran visited the heart of Westchester for The Business Council of Westchester’s KeyBank Speaker Series, which kicked off the second-annual GROW 2.0 Conference. GROW 2.0 is the largest gathering in the region for business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals to attend networking, training and workshops centered on business development and strategy.

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Corcoran shared her personal saga – “everything I know I learned from my mother,” she said – and bits of intelligence for budding businesses: “be great at failure.” Corcoran received Ds in high school and college, but transformed a $1,000 loan in her early 20s into a real estate empire which she sold for $66 million. Now, Corcoran is a staple on the smash NBC show “Shark Tank.”

 

“Perception creates reality,” Corcoran told guests, noting a strong belief and pride in one’s business in the key to success.

                                                              

“This was a tremendous opportunity for everyone here in Westchester,” said Ruth Mahoney, president, Hudson Valley/Metro NY Market, KeyBank. “Barbara brought her frontline experience and infectious attitude to Westchester.”

 

“KeyBank has been our partner for 12 years, and we’ve had incredible speakers – and Barbara Corcoran really tops it all,” said Dr. Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester. “And working with WCC has always been the most natural partnership. Education is the engine for growth.”

 

“Partnering with KeyBank and The Business Council of Westchester has been outstanding, and allowed us to kick off GROW 2.0 with one of the most talented businesspeople and speakers there is,” said Eridania Camacho, Director of Gateway to Entrepreneurship.

 

Following Corcoran’s keynote speech, Westchester professionals from the real estate, medical, technology and retail realms spent the day attending interactive workshops that focused on social media, building brands, driving sales, securing investors and more.

About GROW 2.0:  The annual GROW Conference is Westchester Community College’s Gateway to Entrepreneurship’s signature event and is a breakthrough business conference that inspires and empowers entrepreneurs and business owners across the Hudson Valley. The full-day forum offers the nuts and bolts of starting and growing your business and maximizing success, with a focus on networking, mentoring, business development and driving revenue. Attendees are able to tap into a network of like-minded business leaders, potential partners and resources, and hear from marquee-name professionals and innovators from Westchester and beyond. GROW 2.0 sponsors include G2E, the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, The Business Council of Westchester, Community Capital New York, Durante Rentals and Co-Communications. To register for the Grow 2.0 Conference, visit us at www.westchestergrow.com.

 

 

Gateway to Entrepreneurship G2E: Gateway to Entrepreneurship G2E is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurial education in the community. Through its collaborations with partners in both the public and private sectors, G2E is a resource hub for entrepreneurial development at all stages, facilitating programs that respond to entrepreneurs’ needs and contribute to a vibrant local economy. For more information, email us at g2e@sunywcc.edu                     

 

About the Business Council of Westchester: The County’s largest and most influential business membership organization, The Business Council of Westchester is committed to helping businesses market, learn, advocate and grow. In addition, The Business Council of Westchester is actively involved in reviewing federal, state and county legislation and regulations in order to assess the potential impact on the business community and to influence the outcomes through advocacy when the business community’s interests may be affected. It also acts as an information resource for the business community and government leaders at all levels.

 

 

About KeyBank (KeyCorp): KeyCorp traces its roots back more than 180 years ago and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. One of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, Key has assets of approximately $92.9 billion. The eight-county Hudson Valley/Metro NY Market has 57 branches, 80 ATMs and nearly 400 employees. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management and investment services to individuals, small and medium sized businesses in 12 states under the name of KeyBank N.A. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name.  For more information, visithttps://www.key.com/. Keybank is member FDIC. 

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