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From YouTube: Welcome, Neighbor: Brent Rondon
Description
The second episode of our Pittsburgh/Welcoming Pittsburgh Welcome, Neighbor series is a conversation with Brent Rondon. He is the Senior Management Consultant for International Trade at the University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center. Brent is an invaluable connector to resources for many small businesses in the Pittsburgh region.
A
Anyway,
thanks
so
much
brent,
thank
you
for
joining
us
today.
We're
so
excited
to
to
have
you
on
and
to
help
you
and
to
have.
You
share
the
great
work
that
you're
doing,
and
this
is
even
a
little
bit
more
purse,
because
the
years
I've
gotten
to
know
you
brent
you're
such
an
incredible
person
and
the
fact
that
I
feel
like
whenever
people
in
the
business
world
or
just
folks
that
are
starting
and
thinking
of
ideas.
The
first
person
that
always
comes
to
mind
is.
B
B
At
the
same
time,
I
was
involved
very
heavily
with
latin
american
cultural
union,
which
is
a
non-profit
organization
in
town
and
we're
trying
to
promote
the
culture
of
latin
america
to
different
venues
here
in
the
city.
So
I
became
president
of
the
organization
for
six
years,
so
I
was
able
to
meet
lots
of
the
latino
population
and
also
different
places
in
peace
that
they
love
to
learn
about
the
culture.
B
B
So
that's
when
we
met
in
the
lack
of
the
latin
american
cultural,
human
environment.
So
after
that
I
I
kept
working
for
for
duquesne,
but
I
started
getting
more
heavily
working
the
international
business
assistance,
so
I
was
taking
delegations
of
pittsburgh
companies
into
international
trade
shows.
So
I
did
many
shows
in
germany,
the
netherlands,
france
and
then
to
latin
america
of
course,
took
many
groups
to
latin
america
trying
to
to
increase
exports
from
our
our
country.
A
A
That's
so
awesome
brent,
thank
you
for,
for
that
background,
and
so
great
to
know
that
that
you
call
pittsburgh
home
and,
I
think,
to
be
honest,
a
lot
of
people
would
call
pittsburgh
home
and
I'm
feel
welcome
here
because
of
people
like
you
right
people
that
are
just
open
and
open
to
help
people
and
just
make
this
place
such
a
a
livable
environment
for
folks.
So
thank
you
for
that.
Okay,
so
you
talked
about
you're
now
with
pittsburgh.
You
now
work
for
university
of
pittsburgh
at
ie.
B
B
B
Entrepreneurship,
but
the
innovation
institute
has
four
different
centers
and
one
is
for
students.
Only
one
is
for
professors.
Only
one
is
for
industry
partnerships
and
one
is
for
the
community
at
large
and
the
community.
Our
large
business
center
is
called
the
ieee
okay.
So
that's
the
one
that
I
work
in
inside
ieee.
We
have
sub
centers
for
programs.
B
They
they
focus
on
minority
populations,
and
then
we
have
the
entrepreneur
fellows
class,
which
does
more
for
companies
that
are
already
in
business,
and
they
want
to
take
advantage
of
all
the
certification
courses
and
resources
that
the
university
offers.
So
inside
my
the
ieee
I
kind
of
work
in
in
the
sbdc.
If
I
had
lots
of
connections
with
conversations
almost
on
a
daily
basis
with
the
other
sub
programs
there
just
all
to
to
to
try
to
help
the
the
business
owner
as
much
as
we
can
right.
B
So
my
job
there
right
now
is
to
start
the
international
business
program
at
the
svdc
and
start
to
reach
out
to
manufacturing
companies,
technology
companies
or
service
companies
who
want
to
explore
international
market
opportunities.
So
in
that
space
I
work
very
heavily
with
two
government-funded
organizations,
which
one
is
the
federal
government.
The
united
states.
B
A
B
They
can
also
maybe
advise
or
give
contacts,
or
so
that
it
has
been
working
very
well
and
we're
doing
that
the
whole
all
these
spring
spring
term
until
end
of
june,
and
we
do
this
every
every
every
semester.
So
that's
one
once
from
function
that
I'm
doing
the
other
function
is
that
we
call
a
pittsburgh
immigrant
entrepreneurs,
the
pie,
the
program
for
immigrant
entrepreneurs
and
that's
more
to
cater
all
the
services
that
sbdc
and
ieee
offer
more
to
maybe
cater
to
immigrants.
B
You
know
so
there's
lots
of
resources
right
so,
but
immigrants
sometimes
don't
know
about
the
resources
and
they
don't
know
who
to
contact
to
access
the
resources,
and
you
see
that
the
immigrant
population
functions
a
little
differently
than
than
the
rest
in
the
sense
that,
like
you
said,
they
need
a
contact.
Okay,
they
need
to
know
somebody.
They
need
a
name.
B
They
need
a
person
that
they
can
talk
on
the
phone
or
email
because
just
institutional
institutional
frameworks
for
them
they
don't
work
too
easily
at
the
beginning,
or
at
least
they
need
to
understand
that
institutional
frameworks
in
this
country
are
very
strong,
but
they're
not
used
to
deal
with
that.
So
we
need
we
need
to
give
put
a
face
to
that
institution
and
then
they
connect
with
institutions,
and
then
they
learn
about
institutions
and
use
the
resources
that
we
have.
B
So
that
has
been
a
a
work
that
I
am
passionate
about
and
really
I
want
to
just
to
be
one
more
face
in
in
the
landscape
of
pittsburgh
that
whenever
whoever
comes
and
needs
a
question
or
needs
assistance,
they
have
a
contact
that
that
maybe
we
can
refer
them
to
somebody
else,
but
the
referral
has
to
be
also
a
contact
right,
so
so
just
giving
a
website
or
just
giving
telephone
numbers.
You
know
that
doesn't
work.
So
so
that's
that's
the
two
areas,
international
business
and
we
call
it
pit
for
immigrant
entrepreneurs.
A
They
might
not
necessarily
know
the
laws
and
all
the
different
nuances
that
exist
here
in
our
region,
so
I'm
thinking
of
for
people
that
are
watching,
because
I
do
know
when
the
laws
right
we're
thinking
about
starting
the
restaurant
business
and
she
wanted
to
do
a
business
plan.
We
referred
them
to
you
right.
We're
just
like
well
brent,
could
help
you
figure
out
all
those
different
things.
Well,
what
should
people
know
like?
Well,
how
should
people
come
and
approach
you
they're
interested
in
starting
a
business?
A
B
Yeah
so
since,
since
the
program
at
the
university
of
pittsburgh
is
funded
by
the
federal
government,
the
sba,
the
small
business
administration
funds,
the
program,
as
well
as
the
pennsylvania
department
of
community
and
economic
development
dced
under
the
prep
program,
and
also
the
university
funds
the
program.
So
we
are
open
to
any
anyone
at
any
level.
Okay,
so
there's
no
barriers,
no
nobody!
So
we
are.
We
are
here
to
help,
so
we
see
ourselves
as
a
resource,
a
business
resource.
B
B
B
B
It's
not
smooth,
sometimes
I
don't
hear
anything
in
the
in
the
email
message.
So
so
maybe
I
think
for
now
just
they
can
use
that
the
web,
the
email
and
and
then
we
go
from
there
and
then
when
they
become
clients.
We
can
talk
more
about
giving
my
my
personal
cell
phone.
You
know
just
to
engage,
which
I.
A
A
No,
I
think,
that's
that's
reasonable
brand
and
I
think
what
I
like
about
you're
saying
and
of
course
we
hear
this
so
much
with
members
of
immigrant
community
where
they
get
so
shy
because
people
look
down
on
them
because
they
might
have
an
accent
right
or
like
wait.
We
can't
understand
you,
but
what
I
love
about
your
program
and
you
as
being
a
contact
is
that
that
should
that
is
not
a
limiting
factor,
right,
you're,
not
the
kind
of
person.
That
would
say.
A
B
B
A
That's
good,
I'm
actually
thinking
of
you
for
a
meeting.
I
just
had
earlier
that
we
need
to
make
sure
we
link
you
on,
but
something
else.
A
question
is
for
folks
that
maybe
are
not
on
the
side
where
they
want
to
start
a
business,
but
folks
that
are
already
have
established
businesses.
They
have
an
ex.
They
have
experiences
already
and
might
want
to
lend
your
services
as
a
mentor
or
to
help
coach
people
is
there.
Is
there
room
for
them
to
contact?
You?
B
Yeah,
so,
okay,
so
that
that
the
center,
where
I
work
sbtc,
that's
startup
business
consulting
and
they
do
also
establish
business
consulting
and
then
once
a
company
gets
to
get
sales
and
the
sales
go
to
one
million
dollars
or
more
then
we
like
to
go
with
the
ieee,
the
efc,
the
membership
type
group,
because
the
conversation
changes
right
once
you're
in
that
level.
You
want
to
use
different
language
on
business
and
these
different
needs.
So
that's
one
million
dollars
or
more
for
annual
sales
right.
B
A
B
Yes,
yes,
so
I
met
this
guy
who
who
he
was
a
scuba
dive
instructor
in
mexico,
and
this
lady
from
pittsburgh
went
on
vacations
and
met
the
scuba
dive
instructor
and
she
liked
him.
He
liked
her
okay,
so
she
went
back
again
and
went
back
again.
Well,
finally,
they
got
married
and-
and
she
invited
him
to
move
to
pittsburgh,
so
they
arrived
and
the
guy
said
well
bring
you
know.
Is
there
any
scuba
dive
schools
here
in
pittsburgh?
B
Like
wait,
let's
look
for
it,
but
we
couldn't
find
really
a
big
opportunity
for
him.
Okay,
so
he
said
what
am
I
going
to
do?
I
said
what
does
you
know
where
I
know
how
to
cook
but
he's
from
a
cancun
area
in
mexico?
Okay,
so,
oh!
So
that
might
be
an
opportunity
and
at
that
time
the
public
market
was
still
in
operation
in
the
street
district.
So
we
we
secured
a
small
small
super
small
table.
B
He
partnered
with
one
of
his
friends
and
they
opened
the
small
business
there.
So
we
did
a
grand
opening
in
the
table.
Okay,
just
in
the
table,
we
did
a
grand
opening
at
the
public
market
and
then
later
good
food
people
start
coming
more
and
more.
They
move
to
the
south
side
on
carson
street,
a
small
small
place
to
okay.
Now
they
have
a
more
like,
like
a
small
restaurant,
you
know,
and
then,
with
with
it,
was
improving,
improving
improving
and
now
they
move
two
blocks
away
when
next
to
mallorca.
A
B
B
A
A
B
A
That
that
that
is
amazing
thanks
so
much
for
sharing
that
brand
and
again
it's
just
for
folks
that
are
watching
again
it's.
I
know
we
live
in
a
society.
What
do
you
call
like
a
microwave
society
where
you
expect
to
get
everything
instantly?
This
is
not
what
it
is
based
on
your
story,
it's
if
you're
committed
to
it
starting
small.
A
You
could
grow
right
eventually,
so,
no
matter
what
your
business
is,
if
you're
from,
if
you're
immigrant
non-immigrant,
I
don't
know
wherever
you
are
across
the
world
again
brent,
he's
saying:
ieee
is
ready
to
help
and
assist
you,
and
it
is
free.
It
is
free
of
charge
at
no
cost
to
you,
because
it's
already
funded
by
the
government
and
something
that
just
comes
to
mind
really
quickly
bran,
especially
for
members
of
our
community.
That
might
not
trust
government.
A
B
Yeah
well
sba,
the
small
business
administration
in
the
latest
programs
that
they
are
launching
to
help
the
small
businesses.
Now
they
are
allowing
people
with
only
the
id
number
to
apply.
So
those
are
people
who
don't
have
the
social
security
number,
but
they
have
the
individual
tax
id
number.
The
id
number,
which
that's
the
option
right
for
people
they
can
get.
The
id
number
from
the
irs.
A
B
A
B
You
know,
so
I
would
not
discourage
anybody
just
because,
whatever
situation
they
have
that
they
should
not
just
inquiry
and
just
ask
or
trying
to
get
information
because
there's
lots
of
information
believe
me
and
and
of
course
we
have
also
access
to
the
immigration
attorneys
in
case
they
need
that
there's
lots
of
bilingual
immigration
attorneys
in
town
we'll
be
happy
to
talk
to
them
as
well,
and
we
also
have
access
to
translations
companies
if
they
want
to.
You
know
just
to
help
them
out
with
that
information.
So
yeah
resources
are
there.