Recon

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM PST (8:30 AM Check-in)

Location:
The COVE at UCI, 5270 California Ave #100, Irvine CA 92617

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SCHEDULE

We carefully curated a dynamic program with featured programming alongside our full Exhibitor Hall.

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Resource Panels

"Access to Capital"

"Certification"

"Access to Procurement"

Expand Your Reach

Open Networking

Grow your professional sphere and build impactful relationships.

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Event Timeline

Welcome Remarks/Pledge of Allegiance/National Anthem

SBDN President Jay Ungos will open the event with welcoming remarks about what's in store for the event, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Bobby MacDonald and a performance of the National Anthem by Alexis Lopez.

City of Irvine Welcome Remarks

City of Irvine Mayor Larry Agran will deliver his welcome to the city remarks.

Mayor Larry Agran

City of Irvine
About Mayor Agran

SBDC Update by Mike Daniel

Mike Daniel, Regional Director at the SBDC, will deliver his remarks. As an SBDC partner, SBDN shares in the vision and mission of the SBDC and with their support, our small business community thrives.

Partner Message: Reuben Franco, OCHCC

We will hear from our event partner Reuben Franco of the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"Access to Capital"
Panel

"Access to Capital" Panel hosted by Ed Hart (First Bank)

As one of the most important (and popular) topics to small businesses, this year's Access to Capital panel features host Ed Hart and his fellow banking and finance experts hailing from the spectrum of financial institutions -- from CDFIs to "big banks" -- giving conference attendees a valuable look at different perspectives these institutions have when evaluating potential business to service.

Panelists & Host

Amil Aaron
Genesis Bank
Ed Hart
First Bank
Ron Galati
SBA
Tim Nguyen
Wells Fargo
Kate Wu
US Bank

"Certification" Panel

Certification Panel hosted by Michael Herrera (McCarthy)

The SBDN Certification Panel brings together a collection of procurement experts, representing their respective companies, i.e. the "buyers." Well versed in supplier diversity, they shed light and insights into the value and immense opportunities available to those business that get certified in one (or more) of the various business certifications available to small businesses.

Panelists & Host

Michael Herrera
McCarthy Builders
Joshua Kress
DGS
Marlene Nantell
SCMSDC
Alex Salas
SBA
Ed Salcedo
CPUC

Sponsor Message: Angelique Alvarez, US Bank

We will get a chance to hear from SBDN sponsor US Bank and learn of their current programs and initiatives for small business.

Sponsor Message: Donna Ruff, NMSDC

Donna Ruff of the NMSDC, delivers remarks on behalf of her company, highlighting the what services they can offer to help small businesses.

"Access to Procurement"
Panel

"Access to Procurement" Panel hosted by Mark Morales (AMPAC)

For the first time ever, SBDN brings the "Access to Procurement" Panel to help demystify the world of procurement and corporate buying. This expert group of "insiders" share their advice in how to navigate and discover those opportunities available to small businesses.

Panelists & Host

Lydia Bilynsky
Rick Duarte
Helen Hernandez
Michael Herrera
Joshua Kress
Mark Morales

"Chamber Challenge"

The Chamber Challenge panel is a new addition to our program for this event, and really is more of a contest than a panel. However, the point is for attendees to become “introduced” to these chambers, what the offer, and whom they serve, making it a valuable learning moment for the audience. Oh, and there is prize at the end!

Afghan American Business Alliance (AABA)

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Asian Business Association of OC
(ABAOC)

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American South Asian Network (ASAN)

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Arab American Business Chamber (AABC)

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Diversity Business Forum
(DBF)

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Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of OC (FACCOC)

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Greater Irvine
Chamber

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Korean American Chamber of Commerce of OC (KACCOC)

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La Palma Chamber of Commerce

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Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce (NPBCOC)

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OC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
(OCHCC)

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Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce

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Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce (VACOC)

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Veterans in Business (VIB) Network

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Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce

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End of Day Raffle Opportunity Drawing

SBDN will cap off the event with a raffle draw. You have to be present, so stick around!

EXHIBITORS

Corporate & Business Members

OCTA

Metropolitan Water District (MWD)

The Walt Disney Company

McCarthy Builders

Eventography

CoWorq

21-13 Impact Graphics

TAG Network

Mellow Meadow

Mailing Pros

Global Hope 360

Echo Millennial

AT&T

Financial Partners

Wells Fargo

US Bank

Genesis Bank

JP Morgan Chase

AMPAC

Resource Partners

SBDC

SBA

SCORE

CA GoBiz

WBEC-Pacific

WBEC-West

SCMSDC

Supplier Clearinghouse

CA Dept of General Services (DGS)

CALTRANS

OC Department of Education

County of Orange Procurement

Community Partners

Arab American Business Chamber

Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of OC (FACCOC)

OC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (OCHCC)

Asian Business Association of OC (FACCOC)

Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce (VACOC)

Diversity Biz Forum

Veterans in Business (VIB)

Afghan American Business Alliance (AABA)

American South Asian Network (ASAN)

Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce

La Palma Chamber of Commerce

OC Iranian American Chamber of Commerce (OCIACC)

Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce

Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce

Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce (COFACC)

Ticket Pricing

Complimentary General Admission

SBDN Members ONLY
FREE
  • NO MEAL PROVIDED
  • Keynote Session
  • Tech Talk Session
  • Panel Sessions
  • Exhibitor Hall

VIP Admission
w/ Meal

SBDN Members ONLY
$ 35
  • Includes Boxed Lunch
  • Keynote & Tech Talk
  • Panel Sessions
  • Exhibitor Hall

VIP Admission
w/ Meal

SBDN Business Member PLUS
FREE
  • Includes Boxed Lunch
  • Full-access to Entire Event

VIP Admission
w/ Meal

Non-members
$ 50
  • Includes Boxed Lunch
  • Full-access to Entire Event

Event Flyers

Registration Form

Last Year's (2024) Event Highlight Gallery

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The Small Business Diversity Network (SBDN) is a non-profit organization who supports the underserved small businesses in the U.S., which include minority, women, veteran, LGBT, and disabled owned businesses.

Small Business Diversity Network (SBDN)
3349 Michelson Dr. #200
Irvine, CA 92612

(855) 756-6500

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Mayor Larry Agran

City of Irvine

Larry Agran graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966, majoring in history and economics. In 1969, he graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, where he specialized in public interest law.

Larry has served as Legal Counsel to the California State Senate Committee on Health and Welfare. He has taught legislation and public policy at the UCLA School of Law and the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine.

Larry Agran first served on the Irvine City Council from 1978 to 1990, including six years as Mayor. Under his leadership, Irvine received national recognition for its pioneering programs in child care, affordable housing, recycling, and open space preservation.

As a highly respected public interest attorney and public policy expert, Larry founded and led several non-profit organizations: the Local Elected Officials Project, the Center for Innovative Diplomacy, and CityVote. As the founder and volunteer chair of Project ’99 from 1994 to 1999, Larry was especially active in establishing the Orange County Great Park at the former Marine Corps Base at El Toro.

Larry Agran returned to service on the Irvine City Council on November 3, 1998. He was elected Mayor of Irvine in November 2000. After completing two consecutive terms as Mayor, he was elected to two consecutive terms as an Irvine City Councilmember, serving until 2014. Following a six-year hiatus, Irvine voters returned Larry Agran to the City Council in November 2020. He was re-elected to the Irvine City Council in 2022.

Determined to return good planning and good government to Irvine, Larry Agran was elected Mayor in 2024, marking his eighth nonconsecutive term in this role. Larry is also the City of Irvine representative to the National League of Cities, the League of California Cities, the California Big City Mayors Coalition, the Orange County City Selection Committee, and the Irvine Ranch Water District/City of Irvine Coordinating Committee.

Larry Agran resides in Irvine with his wife, Phyllis, a pediatrician. Larry and Phyllis have a son, Ken, married to daughter-in-law Kerrie Mahan, and two grandchildren – Morgan Elizabeth Agran and Benjamin Sawyer Agran.

To learn more about how Larry Agran works each and every day to address civic matters and support residents, visit his mayoral website at mayorlarryagran.org(link is external).

Mayor Farrah N. Khan

City of Irvine

Mayor Farrah N. Khan made history in November of 2020, becoming the 23rd Mayor of Irvine. She not only received the highest number of votes for the position of Mayor in the city’s history, but also shattered glass ceilings as the first woman of color to hold the position, and the first Muslim woman to lead a large city in the United States. She was re-elected as Mayor in 2022 to serve her second term. She was first elected to the Irvine City Council in 2018.Mayor Khan grew up in northern California and began her career in the biotech and innovation industry as a regulatory affairs manager focusing on streamlining complex products and international research. She and her family moved to Irvine in 2004, where her two sons have had the privilege of attending Irvine public schools since kindergarten. She and her husband also serve as Legacy Partners with the Irvine Public Schools Foundation.

Mayor Khan is focused on ensuring that the City of Irvine is a leader throughout Orange County and California when it comes to innovation and technology, maintaining a safe environment and fiscal stability, combating climate change, and protecting the health and wellness of Irvine’s diverse communities.

During her 2 year term as City Councilmember (2018-2020), she initiated and passed the city-wide ban on smoking in public places, initiated the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, initiated the Transit Vision Study, supported the One Irvine program to rejuvenate older neighborhoods, and established OC’s first Community Choice Energy (CCE) agency OC Power Authority. She also served on the Boards of the Irvine Community Land Trust, OC Mosquito and Vector Control, Irvine Barclay Theatre, and OC Library District.

In her first term as Mayor (2020-2022), she initiated several new strategies leading to Irvine becoming the first City in Orange County to spearhead COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics in local neighborhoods and senior centers, established the COVID-19 Task Force and the Business Reopening Task Force with industry experts. In addition, she passed HERO pay for frontline grocery workers, created a new committee focused on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (under the Mayor’s leadership, the City celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival, Juneteenth, Fiesta en Irvine, and Pride in Irvine for the first time in its history), she also spearheaded the Be Well OC mobile response for mental health calls, established the Innovation Council, and adopted a resolution with strategies to support achieving carbon neutrality. During these two years, she also established Irvine as a major city by highlighting its programs and services, which brought US President Biden, US Secretary of Health & Human Services Xavier Becerra, US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, and CA Infrastructure Director – former Mayor of LA Antonio Villaraigosa to Irvine. Mayor Khan served on the Boards of Transportation Corridor Agency, OC Power Authority, and Irvine Barclay Theatre.

In her second term as Mayor, she has made progress on the Transit Vision Study with the approval of the Transit Pilot program with a dedicated route to begin later in 2023, she introduced the E-Bike ordinance with IPD, introduced the Eviction Diversion Pilot Program, and supported more affordable housing and extension of expiring HUD units throughout the city. She also spearheaded and approved a Community Workforce Agreement (for local hire and apprenticeship opportunities) and continues to work on finding solutions for homelessness, housing, energy efficiency, social connections, and economic development.  Mayor Khan currently serves on the Boards of OC Transportation Authority, Transportation Corridor Agency, OC Sanitation District, and Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Mayor Khan represents the city on the CA Big City Mayors coalition, League of CA Cities, and US Conference of Mayors.