• Use ChatGPT as a strategic thought partner for planning, ideas, and decision support
• Voice-prompt ChatGPT for more effective, personalized output
• Generate ideas, analyze data, and expand offerings based on real customer feedback
• Leverage Google Gemini for deep business research and insight generation
• Use Perplexity AI for real-time answers and validation of new ideas
• Automate meeting notes and action items with Fathom Notetaker
• Create interactive presentations and content summaries with Gamma AI

• How small businesses are using AI to compete with bigger brands
• What to automate now (and what not to)
• The 3 visibility levers that AI tools help amplify
• How to use AI for better content, faster decisions, and stronger customer engagement
• Why implementation-not information-is the real edge

Chidi Blyden's career spans leadership in US defense, international development, and as a prominent expert on African affairs. Her professional and personal experiences revealed a critical need for voices that could bridge the cultural, political, and economic divides between Africa and the world. She founded Culturally Bound to offer the transformative impact of local knowledge, diaspora expertise, and inclusive strategies when forging ties between businesses, governments, and institutions who wish to work together in this global space.

"At Culturally Bound, we believe Africa is not hard—it’s complex. It is a continent rich in culture, opportunity, and resilience, but one that demands nuanced expertise to navigate effectively. Our story began with a recognition: despite Africa's vast potential, there remains a significant gap in understanding how to work within its complexities to foster meaningful, sustainable growth." - Culturallybound.com

Chidi Blyden is the Principal Officer of the CBG, providing tailored solutions to foster sustainable growth, strengthen governance, and empower local institutions across Africa. She founded Culturally Bound after serving as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. She also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

This event is co-sponsored by the Varner International Business Institute at Illinois State University, Peoria Area World Affairs Council (PAWAC) and the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center in the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University.

Registration Link: https://peoria-area-world-affairs-council.square.site/product/bridging-the-divides-featuring-chidi-blyden-monday-september-8/VSC4AFDIWFGRUR2I64GXTJSG?cs=true&cst=custom
 

Leveling Up with Google - Smart Brand System

Shield. Sharpen. Scale: AI Strategy for Small Business - Smart Brand System

Visibility Signals that Win in AI Search - Smart Brand System

• What Google’s AI Overviews really pull from—and how to be included
• The 3 types of signals that influence AI visibility
• How to optimize your Google Business Profile, website, and content for machine readability
• Real visibility case studies from small business clients
• Tools and templates to clarify your messaging and signal authority

AI Without Regret: Building Smarter Systems That Protect and Perform- Smart Brand System

• How to avoid common AI setup mistakes that cost small businesses visibility and trust
• Key principles of responsible AI use that protect your reputation and customer data
• Systems thinking: how to align AI tools with your business model and customer journey
• What to automate, what to oversee, and how to monitor for blind spots
• The framework for building AI that performs and protects

Meeting foreign and international product safety standards and regulatory requirements for your goods can be a daunting task!

The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at the Joseph Center and the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center in the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University are pleased to co-present this one-hour, live webinar with John Allen to help manufacturers make sense out of this complicated topic.

The Product Compliance industry changes at a fast pace and has taken on a life of its own. The days of only needing to worry about product certifications are long gone.  Today’s managers must be familiar with certifications along with chemicals standards including PFAS and RoHS and software and cybersecurity requirements. Moreover, risk assessments are required for every CE directive and are starting to infiltrate U.S. standards.  Our compliance expert from Product Safety Consulting will give you an update on the landscape here in the USA and Canada with NRTLs testing and certification and in Europe with the CE.  He will round out the session with updates on what is needed for manufacturers to navigate the quagmire of standards and requirements to secure global market access.

PRESENTER:

Cosponsors: Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, FTZ #114, Greater Peoria Manufacturing Network

Meeting foreign and international product safety standards and regulatory requirements for your goods can be a daunting task!
The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at the Joseph Center and the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center in the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University are pleased to co-present this one-hour, live webinar with John Allen to help manufacturers make sense out of this complicated topic.
The Product Compliance industry changes at a fast pace and has taken on a life of its own. The days of only needing to worry about product certifications are long gone.  Today’s managers must be familiar with certifications along with chemicals standards including PFAS and RoHS and software and cybersecurity requirements. Moreover, risk assessments are required for every CE directive and are starting to infiltrate U.S. standards.  Our compliance expert from Product Safety Consulting will give you an update on the landscape here in the USA and Canada with NRTLs testing and certification and in Europe with the CE.  He will round out the session with updates on what is needed for manufacturers to navigate the quagmire of standards and requirements to secure global market access.
 
PRESENTER:
 
John Allan, Founder, President & CEO of Product Safety Consulting, Bensenville IL. Over the last 39 years John has obtained worldwide Certifications on a diverse list of product categories including consumer electronics, small and large electrics, lighting, medical, industrial controls, machinery, gas appliances, ITE and many more. John also has been doing Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessments for over 20 years and serves as a senior advisor on product safety to a number of global companies.  John has been a part of the IEEE’s Product Safety Engineering Society since 1985.  He is Past Chair of the PSES Chicago Chapter, Chairman of the PSES Compliance 101 Technical Committee, past Chair for the PSES’s flagship Symposium ISPCE 2015, past President of the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society and now again President (2024-2025). John often speaks on Certifications to various Trade Associations and Chamber of Commerce and various IEEE Conferences.

• An introduction to Google Analytics.
• Creating and understanding reports.
• Making goals.
• Using Analytics with other Google tools.

• How do you design and create a prototype?
• How does a prototype become a product?
• What is the Barton Makerspace?
• What do you need to bring a product to market?
• What is IMEC?
• How does a product become mass produced?
• How can you partner to scale?
• Why Manufacturing? Why Now? Why Illinois?
• Part 2 in November (10^th or 14^th TBD) – Manufacturing Partners and Logistics led by IMEC in-person at Peoria NEXT

• Inventors who need to develop a prototype
• Makers who want to commercialize or scale their products
• Small Scale Fabricators and Manufacturing Shops
• Contract Manufacturing Partners