PITTSBURGH, PA – CNBC and Comcast Business celebrated Small Business Week with an engaging panel discussion featuring members of the local business community at Alloy 26 at Nova Place on Pittsburgh’s North Side on May 2.
Discussing what makes Pittsburgh start-ups and small businesses unique, resilient and poised for future growth were panelists Ilana Diamond, managing director, AlphaLab Gear; Juan Garrett, executive director, Riverside Center for Innovation; Mona Pappafava-Ray, president & CEO, General Carbide Corp.; and Adam Paulisick, chief customer officer, Maya Design. Bill Flanagan, host of the “Our Region’s Business” on WPXI-TV, moderated the panel.
The panelists provided insights into their own personal success and advice on how businesses can integrate into their local communities. They also took questions from the audience and provided guidance on formulating business plans that turn ideas into reality.
Comcast Business is providing free Internet connectivity at Nova Place through 1 Gbps Comcast Business circuits in nine innovation huts in the concourse and a 1 Gbps connection to the internet via Xfinity WiFi provided throughout both the concourse and Nova Place’s unique outdoor plaza – spaces open to the public. Comcast, which has built the nation’s largest WiFi network with more than 16 million hotspots, is thus enabling convenient and reliable access to the digital world.
Following the discussion, local business owners had an opportunity to tell their stories and apply for a chance to be on the new season of CNBC’s “The Profit.” The show stars serial entrepreneur and investor Marcus Lemonis, who puts his own money on the line to help save and grow struggling small businesses across the country. The new season of “The Profit” premieres Tuesday, June 6th at 10PM ET on CNBC.
