This FREE small business event is all about supporting rural entrepreneurs. We are excited to partner with the Choctaw Nation Small Business Development team and the Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation to bring Joni Nash to Atoka and share her story and experience of working with rural communities. Her energy, enthusiasm and charisma is captivating and her passion for investing in self and others is contagious.

When recruited to serve as the Executive Director of the Pawhuska, Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce to promote economic development and job creation in Pawhuska, Joni relocated from south central Oklahoma to Osage County. During her tenure as Economic Development and Chamber Director, Pawhuska saw astonishing growth that she attributes to the opening of the famous Pioneer Woman Mercantile, and her community soon became one of the 15 Best Small Towns To Visit by Smithsonian Magazine.

Our hope for the day is that you will reflect on who you are a business owner, discover how to better stand out, learn how to cultivate a community of business owners, and how to move the ball forward as a community.

The REI Oklahoma team will also be there, ready to share info on free trainings, workshops, business counseling, funding options and more to help you grow your business.

Thank you, Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation, administered by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, for the Rural Oklahoma Community Grant to support this work.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. REI Oklahoma's WBC services are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities and language assistance services for clients with limited English proficiency will be provided if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact Lori Smith, WBC Assistant, at 800-658-2823.