[KHTS] – U.S. Rep. Steve Knight hosted a Small Business Workshop and Expo Tuesday for Santa Clarita Valley entrepreneurs looking to expand their business by introducing them to government officials and featuring key speakers who have succeeded in their fields.

“(This expo) gives you information on a wide variety of topics from small businesses to business contracts to about everything you can think of. It is an event that has been widely publicized and we have a good return. We had about 150 RSVP’s and probably 200 plus people will show up on a Tuesday morning and that’s pretty exceptional,” said Knight.

Business owners traveled from different states to attend this event to gain experience from business professionals in Santa Clarita. Dr. Terry Paulson, business management author and columnist, was the first speaker at the event and introduced the importance of working with the community.

“The true entrepreneur is not a dreamer. This community helps each other and applies it in a way that means more opportunities and jobs for more Americans. We will be able to make a difference within the community and our country. It is important that as a community we work together to improve our business and share it,” said Paulson.
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Apart from Paulson, Knight welcomed “folks from small businesses that were coming to tell [the audience] not just how to work your business, but how to expand your business.”

“Like you, I am a business owner and business advocate. You are the drivers of the economy and as small businesses owners we are growing,” said Vivian Shimoyama, executive director for Southern California, 10,000 Small Businesses. “We’ve been able to increase business income and profits are rising. We have a whole different generation transitioning and as more opportunities open up, so will jobs for our next generation, which creates wealth in our community.”

The expo not only offered insight into business expansion, but also gave entrepreneurs the opportunity to ask questions to a variety of government officials who attended the event. Assemblyman Scott Wilk, Mayor McLean, Senator Sharon Runner, city leaders, county leaders and Knight’s team all attended the business expo to give advice to business owners.

“I hope they are very happy with what we brought forward. We kind of tried to put it into sections. There are different time slots. There will be something that can affect you at every hour and I have to be here all day,” said Knight. “If this is something that fits you, you can come here for an hour and it’s free. You can come in, get some information and still go back to your business and work. That was a key point that we have done differently from other business expos that I have seen.”