Last week in a board meeting, I listened as the chairman opened his remarks with the opening quote from Dickens’ classic novel A Tale of Two Cities:

 “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”

 There is no doubt that the last few years have been challenging ones for entrepreneurs at every stage of development. Yet through it all, new companies have been born, new innovations have launched and every November Arizona’s entrepreneurs have gathered to connect, engage and share ideas at AZEC – the Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference.

 This year on November 16^th at Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix, the theme is growth through each of the stages of entrepreneurship. This year’s speakers are some of the best yet as we’ll explore funding, support, successful models and successful exits.

 Not only will AZEC 11 bring together our entrepreneurial and investor community, it will again fund OTEF programs to educate, mentor and support members of our community who truly need a hand up and assistance in gaining economic self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship.