SOREDI’s Angels and Entrepreneurs Conference

Entrepreneurs Receive Chance to Connect with Investors

MEDFORD, OR – On Wednesday, April 29, 2015 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI) will host its annual Angels & Entrepreneurs Conference (A & E) at EdenVale Winery on Voorhies Road in Medford.  The event will be sponsored by the Southern Oregon Angel Investment Network (SOAIN) and Moss Adams, LLP. This re-vamped event places innovative entrepreneurs alongside people who have financing to help turn great ideas into thriving businesses. “We hope to encourage entrepreneurs to meet up with the angels and other resource provides in a refreshingly casual environment that celebrates where we have been the last four years with an investment competition and where we are going next,” says Colleen Johnston, Senior Business Development Manager of SOREDI. “We are pleased to give these angel investors and entrepreneurs a forum in which they can share their plans and ideas; and we are confident that the guest speakers will inspire, inform, and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit for conference attendees.”

Inspiring guest speakers include; David Gremmels, president of Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Cary Cound, President of Cary’s of Oregon in Grants Pass, and Anne Lundgren, founder of Joma Films in Ashland. Each speaker brings their unique perspective on the entrepreneurial spirit and their journey to success.

According to Steve Vincent of SOAIN, the A & E events will be a more casual and collaborative approach to the way Angels and Entrepreneurs meet and share ideas in Southern Oregon. In years past, SOREDI hosted a competition where entrepreneurs went up against one another for funding by investors with SOAIN.  SOAIN’s new vetting process eliminates the competitiveness and ensures that every great idea has the potential for funding.  “We believe the re-vamping of this annual conference will bring out the best of the best in Southern Oregon,” says Vincent.

On the heels of the annual conference there is also the re-launch of SOREDI’s A & E bi-monthly meetings, which are scheduled to begin in May, along with regular A & E “MeetUps” facilitated by the Oregon Entrepreneur Network (OEN). “Our goal is to help them make the right connections for a continuous flow of business startups here, “says John Lamy, Regional Catalyst Manager for OEN.

SOREDI is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the long-term prosperity of Jackson and Josephine counties, now in its 28^th year of service. As a leader in economic development, SOREDI partners with various organizations to complement outreach and business support efforts in three core functions: retaining existing traded-sector companies, recruiting traded-sector companies, and helping launch startups.