Is it true that Arizona is a great place to start a business? Or is it true that we lack capital and seasoned management teams? On November 8, 2006, Arizona�s entrepreneurs and aspirants will find answers to these questions at the First Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference, presented by The Business Journal of Phoenix, Stealthmode Partners, and The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation, and sponsored by Grand Canyon University, Shea Commercial, Core Purpose, Inc., the City of Tempe Economic Development Department, and Ephibian. Michael Gerber, author of the best seller The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, will be the lunch speaker. The conference, to be held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel from 8 AM to 4 PM will feature a day of great content and connections for Arizona companies in both startup and growth mode.

Other confirmed speakers include Marianne Hudson, Director of the Angel Capital Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; William Cockayne, innovation specialist and Director of Stanford University�s Humanities Lab; and former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, a real estate and a technology entrepreneur.

Attendees will hear from successful Arizona entrepreneurs, local startups familiar with the environment, entrepreneur mentors and angel investors, and specialized resource providers.

�We are hoping that this day will leave entrepreneurs with business insights, leadership skills and networking opportunities to create new businesses or expand existing enterprises. Its agenda, developed from the Kauffman Foundation�s FastTrac Entrepreneurial Education program, includes practical, hands-on business development tracks and workshops for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs,� says conference organizer Francine Hardaway.

Panelists who will be available to answer questions and work with attendees include experts in due diligence, business valuation, intellectual property, business formation, product development, leadership, hiring and firing, product marketing, sales, franchises, and social ventures.

The cost of the conference will be $125.00, including lunch and refreshments. Proceeds will be donated to the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation http://www.otef.org), a 501�3 that provides entrepreneurial skills to underserved populations, and to local not-for-profits that serve entrepreneurs in Arizona. Registrations are being taken at www.azentrepreneurship.com.