Small Business Academy

The Small Business Leadership Academy is an intensive executive education program designed to strengthen the business acumen of small business leaders in Arizona whose primary customers are larger companies.  The program was jointly developed by the W. P. Carey School of Business and the Salt River Project (SRP), the program’s founding sponsor. SRP has generously provided scholarships to the principals of a number of its key suppliers.

The program, now in its second year, has been expanded to allow for the inclusion of self-funded individuals as well as additional sponsoring companies who wish to support their suppliers' participation in the program.

Participants in the program will:

• Learn how to formulate a strategy that results in sustainable competitive advantage
• Approach the art of negotiation, practicing concepts that lead to mutually-beneficial agreements and long-term business relationships
• Understand the principles of organizational dynamics and how to build and motivate high-performance teams
• Learn how to develop, expand and improve service offerings as a way of generating new revenue and differentiating one’s company from competitors
• Build a supportive network of peers that will be a resource beyond the program
• Earn a Certificate of Participation from the W. P. Carey School of Business as well as four Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) from ASU (CEU’s are a widely-recognized measure of participation in non-credit, professional development courses).