Sponsors
To all of our sponsors we extend our deepest gratitude for making San Francisco Small Business Week possible. Our sponsors work with small business owners every day and know the importance of small business to a thriving community. Their financial support allows us to offer you free events and resources while their expertise ensures that the content we feature is relevant and educational. We encourage you to visit their websites, meet with them at one of our events and thank them in person for their contributions. If you are interested in a San Francisco Small Business Week Sponsorship please contact Adam@StrausEvents.com.
America’s #1 small business lender in total dollar volume according to the most recent Community Reinvestment Act and the #1 SBA 7a bank lender in total dollar volume. Wells Fargo has loaned close to $35 billion to women, African American, Latino and Asian business owners since 1995. For more information, speak with a Wells Fargo banker, visit wellsfargo.com/biz.
Capital Access Group is an SBA Lender and Certified Development Company that has been financing real estate solutions for businesses for over 30 years. We’re the 2nd largest CDC in the Bay Area, having funded in excess of $1 billion dollars of real estate transactions. Our professional service philosophy combines the expertise of our long history in financing real estate alongside dedicated personalized service to individual borrowers in guiding the process from start to finish. For more information go to capitalaccess.com.
Founded in 1981, Bay Area Development Company is an SBA 504 lender that provides small and mid-sized companies with optimally structured commercial real estate financing for their businesses. The loans have fixed, below-market interest rates and low down payments which allow businesses to purchase land and buildings, renovate existing facilities and acquire equipment. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, Bay Area Development Company has provided more than $3 billion in project financing to companies in Northern and Central California. For more information go to bayarea504.com.
CDC Small Business Finance is a non-profit lender that provides capital to small businesses, particularly SBA-504 loans – so they can expand, grow and create new jobs in California, Arizona and Nevada. In 35 years of operation, CDC has leveraged over $12 billion in loans for more than 9,000 small businesses, which have in turn created and preserved over 125,000 jobs. For more information go to cdcloans.com
TMC Financing specializes in owner-user commercial and industrial real estate financing for growing businesses. As an SBA-designated Certified Development Company (CDC) we offer financing through the SBA 504 loan program. Businesses receive up to 90% financing with below-market, FIXED interest rates and long terms which can be used to purchase, renovate or construct commercial property. TMC has ranked as the #1 SBA 504 Lender in Northern California for over a decade. For more information go to tmcfinancing.com.
Aquaria Funds by VEDC Inc., is a non-bank, community lender specializing in SBA and non-SBA loans. We are a direct lending institution with distinction from the U.S. Treasury as a Certified Development Financial Institution. Predominately recognized within the lending industry, bankers are first to refer us clients that are unable to qualify for conventional/banking credit. As part of VEDC Inc., Aquaria Funds will continue to promote a rich 37-year lending history through the deployment of capital to near-bankable California small businesses. For more information go to aquariafunds.com
For the more than 27.5 million U.S. small businesses, wireless choices can seem complicated. You simply want good value and devices that help your business stay connected and productive. T-Mobile is committed to removing complexities in business wireless solutions. With reliability, security, fast network speeds, reduced costs, extensive business applications and support, T-Mobile means better business. Now, that is easy to understand. Visit T-mobile.com/smallbusiness to see how T-Mobile can help maximize your business wireless investment.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is the city’s mobility manager and operates the entire surface transportation network encompassing pedestrians, bicycling, transit, traffic and parking. The agency also regulates the taxi industry. With a workforce of nearly 5,000, the SFMTA is in motion 24 hours a day, every day of the year, ensuring that the streets of San Francisco are safe and sustainable for current and future generations of residents and visitors. For more information go to SFMTA.com.
Description: VerticalResponse Inc. provides a full suite of self-service marketing solutions for small businesses including email marketing, social media, online event marketing, postcard marketing and online surveys. Our mission is to empower small businesses and non-profit organizations to easily and affordably create, manage and analyze their own marketing campaigns. VerticalResponse is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. Representative partners include Salesforce.com, BigContacts, vBulletin, SnapPages and Google Apps. For more information go to verticalresponse.com/smallbizweek.
YP is North America’s largest local search, media and advertising company. The company’s flagship consumer brands include YP.com, a top 40 U.S. Web domain, the highly-rated YP℠ app and the YP Real Yellow Pages℠ directory. The YP℠ Local Ad Network provides advertisers an opportunity to reach more than 180 million monthly users across over 300 affiliated online and mobile publishers. YP products and services are backed by thousands of media consultants across the US with relationships spanning 600,000+ businesses.
Chevron is one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies. Headquartered in San Ramon, California, we conduct business in countries all around the globe. Chevron is engaged in every aspect of the crude oil and natural gas industry, including exploration and production, manufacturing, marketing and transportation, chemicals manufacturing and sales, geothermal, and power generation. We’re also investing in renewables and advanced technologies. To learn more about Chevron visit www.chevron.com.
Recology is a national leader in recycling and compost collection programs. Waste Zero is our mission. We make recycling easy and convenient for customers and help the cities we serve, including the City of San Francisco, achieve all their recycling goals. Currently the City of San Francisco’s diversion rate is 77% the highest in the nation. Recology’s operating companies provide collection, recycling and disposal services for everything from residential food scraps to construction and demolition debris. Everything Recology does is founded on a single principle — provide superior service while controlling costs. This creed ensures refuse and recyclables are picked up on time, and that bills remain fair and reasonable. Recology emphasizes recycling to reduce consumption of virgin materials, save landfill space and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All of our trucks run on alternative fuel. High-tech liner systems are employed at landfills to protect soil and groundwater. Safety is stressed in all undertakings. Recology provides good jobs, is 100 percent employee-owned and supports area businesses by purchasing goods and services locally. http://www.RecologySF.com
Sterling Bank & Trust was originally chartered in 1984 as Sterling Savings and Loan Association with a focus on residential mortgage lending and servicing in the neighborhoods we serve. In 1990, our growth led to the development of the commercial real estate lending division. In 1993, the bank became Sterling Bank and Trust, FSB, with the addition of the Trust division. Though our headquarters is located in Southfield, Michigan, our bank ownership is San Francisco-based. A key part of Bay Area neighborhoods, the bank has thirteen neighborhood branches in San Francisco and one in Burlingame, California, with an additional branch in the main office in Southfield. Our mission is to create exceptional value for customers, employees, investors and the community through innovative and creative products, services and activities; and to profitably grow as an independent, national company by providing superior financial solutions that exceed customer expectations. More information at sterlingbank.com
Founded in 2004, Ooma offers consumer and business products that provide free and low-cost U.S. telephone calling and advanced cloud-based telephony services to its global base of customers. Ooma delivers HD call quality and the reliability of traditional phone service at a fraction of the cost. Ooma has been ranked the #1 home phone service for overall satisfaction and value for the last two consecutive years by a leading consumer research publication. For more information, go to www.ooma.com.
Kaiser Permanente is the nation’s largest nonprofit health plan in the United States, according to Fortune magazine and serves over 8 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente has medical centers throughout the Bay Area including San Francisco, the East Bay, the North Bay, the Peninsula, and the Silicon Valley. The health provider provides an integrated health delivery system, including preventive care, well-baby and prenatal care, immunizations, emergency care, screening diagnostics, hospital and medical services and pharmacy services. For more information go to kp.org.
Founded in 1865 to finance trade between Asia and the West, today HBSC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations serving some 58 million customers. Our aim is to be acknowledged as the world’s leading international bank. For more information go to hsbc.com
Xero is beautiful, easy to use online accounting software for small businesses and their advisors. See your cashflow in real-time with online accounting, automated bank feeds invoicing, billing & banking. Businesses perform better when they have instant access to real-time financials – with Xero you and your advisors can take advantage of business opportunities and avoid problems when it matters. More than 240,000 people around the world use Xero. Find out why at Xero.com.
Elance is where people work differently. A pioneer in today’s freelance revolution, Elance is the world’s leading platform for online work. Today over 500,000 businesses and 2.5 million freelancers use Elance in 170+ countries. Innovative global enterprises, small businesses and startups tap into the Elance talent pool, building teams from software engineers, application developers and web and graphic designers to copywriters, market researchers, data scientists, social media marketers, customer service agents and other business professionals. For more information go to elance.com.
In 1976, PG&E became one of the first utilities in the nation to offer energy efficiency programs to our customers. And we’ve been a leader ever since. Using energy more efficiently is more than simply the right thing to do – it saves our customers money on their energy bills. It is also the fastest, most cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global climate change. In fact, over the past 30 years, PG&E and our customers have kept over 125 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere. For more information go to pge.com/mybusiness.
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 24,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit corporate.visa.com
Astra Women’s Business Alliance is a 501 (c )(3) organization which provides WBENC and WOSB third-party certifications and training for women business owners in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana. Its mission is to champion multi-generational women business owners to grow their companies through public and private contracts which will increase and strengthen economic development and job creation throughout the world. More information at astrawba.org
Salesforce.com is the enterprise cloud computing leader. Our social and mobile cloud technologies—including our flagship sales and CRM applications—help companies connect with customers, partners, and employees in entirely new ways. More information at salesforce.com
Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks®, ,a href=”http://quicken.intuit.com”>Quicken® and TurboTax®, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. Intuit Financial Services helps banks and credit unions grow by providing on-demand solutions and services that make it easier for consumers and businesses to manage their money. Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $4.15 billion in its fiscal year 2012. The company has approximately 8,500 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at intuit.com.
On the fourth floor of the METREON, City View Event Space is at the center of the city — and on top of it all. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide an unobstructed view of the San Francisco cityscape from the Bay Bridge to the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens, the perfect location for you to host unforgettable events!
We help your small business achieve success through special events and project management. By coupling your goals with our expertise, we enhance your capacity to do and think big and ultimately achieve measurable success. Special events and projects are effective tools in reaching your goals – but are often stressful and unsuccessful without the needed resources or capacity. We are proud to support the San Francisco Small Business Week Committee and look forward to engaging you at the many special events throughout the week! For more information go to strausevents.com.
Dolphin brings you the world’s first mobile Gesture and mobile voice control (Sonar) based browser. Fast and playful, you can train your Dolphin to adapt to the way you want to browse. Open your favorite web pages with just a touch of your finger tip, tell Dolphin where to go or create a signature Gesture. With over 50 million downloads and growing daily, “Dolphin is the most capable browser available.” More information at dolphin-browser.com
SFC Media Solutions is your gateway to the best, results-driven marketing tools available today. It’s home of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most-read newspaper and most-visited local news and info site – The San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com. From targeted publications to a suite of digital marketing solutions, we have the tools for any sized business to prosper in the new media landscape. More information at http://www.sfcmediasolutions.
Each week, the San Francisco Business Times provides important breaking news on Bay Area business. The Business Times’ pages are packed with strategies and insights that will help you grow, and tips and leads that will bring you more business. The San Francisco Business Times is the region’s leading business news publication and leading source for local business news.
Talk 910 is the Bay Area’s local talk radio station featuring Armstrong & Getty and Gil Gross as well as a wide variety of commentary and features. Don’t miss the award-winning “Dining Around” show with Joel Riddell, highlighting the best of the Bay Area’s culinary scene. Tune in at 910AM or online at talk910.com. The Talk 910 audience is upscale and educated and reaches the entire Bay Area. For more information go to talk910.com
