Griego to Address Small-Business Conference

Linda Griego, an entrepreneur who helped lead economic recovery efforts after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, will be a keynote speaker at the Los Angeles Times Small Business Strategies Conference on Sept. 24-25.

Griego recently was appointed interim chief executive for Los Angeles Community Development Bank. She is the former president and chief executive of Rebuild LA (RLA), a nonprofit corporation created to help the city recover after the riots.

She also founded and is managing general partner of 11-year-old Engine Co. No. 28, a restaurant in a landmark firehouse downtown, and she has produced a pilot variety television show aimed at the young Latino market.

Griego, who addresses the conference Saturday, joins four other keynote speakers:

* Earvin “Magic” Johnson, chief executive of Magic Johnson Enterprises, a former basketball great whose businesses focus on revitalizing neglected communities.

* Howard Schultz, chairman and chief executive of Starbucks Coffee Co., who expanded the chain from four stores to 1,800.

* Alfred Mann, chief executive of MiniMed, who has launched numerous biomedical firms and recently donated $100 million each to USC and UCLA.

* Patty DeDominic, chief executive of PDQ Personnel Services Inc., and an activist in the National Assn. of Women Business Owners.

More than 10,000 small-business owners are expected to attend the conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Sessions will focus on expanding and growing a business, and entrepreneurs who have created successful companies will speak, along with small-business instructors, who will lead interactive workshops.

To register or get more information, call (800) 350-3211 or go to http://pyxis.nohib.com./sbsc.