The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) encourages small businesses to partake in America’s PrepareAthon! occurring Wednesday, April 30 to increase individual and community preparedness in the event of weather-related disasters to build resiliency.  America’s PrepareAthon! is a community-based campaign for individuals, organizations, and communities to prepare for specific hazards through drills, group discussions and exercises.

On April 30, Wilkes University SBDC is presenting a no-cost seminar, “Bringing Your Business Online,” for small business owners as a part of America’s PrepareAthon!  Discussion topics such as creating an effective business website, cloud tools, search engine optimization, social media marketing, mobile web usage, and disaster preparedness will educate business owners on the best resources to use in case of an emergency.  Guest presenter Donna Yale, an Advanced IT Solutions Team Leader for Penn State University’s Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP), has more than 30 years of IT development experience and provides technical support to small and midsize businesses across Pennsylvania.  The seminar will take place at Wilkes University Marts Gym, 274 Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre, Room 203 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To register, call 570-408-4340. To view the full event flyer, click here.

Businesses across Pennsylvania should be aware of the spring weather-related disasters including wildfire, hurricanes, tornados and floods that could strike their business.  Business owners should consider the following when designing their business continuity plan:

• Understand which disasters could happen in their community
• Know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage
• Take action to increase their preparedness
• Participate in community resilience planning

The better prepared communities are as a whole, the quicker they can recover and get back to business as usual.  Advising businesses on issues associated with weather-related disasters is part of the SBDC’s Business Continuity and Survival Services funded with a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. This project provides the resources for SBDC consultants to advise small firms on business disruption and continuity planning to help them prepare for future business interruptions.  To learn more about these confidential, no-fee business consulting services, contact your local SBDC. 

America’s PrepareAthon! will hold events and activities across the country twice a year to organize community days of action and encourage individuals to discuss, practice, and train for relevant hazards.  The national days of action will be held in the spring and fall; this year, the national days of action will be April 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014.

To follow the campaign online, follow @PrepareAthon on Twitter and use #PrepareAthon.