RADFORD - In an age when entrepreneurship is increasingly vital in the business world, Radford University will host an “Entrepreneur Express” workshop designed with budding entrepreneurs in mind.

Entitled “Moving your Business Forward,” the workshop will feature keynote speaker Doug Call ’86, president of Roanoke-based Virginia Prosthetics, an orthotics and prosthetic service.

The workshop, which is part of RU’s 2009 Homecoming festivities, is free and open to the public and will be held in RU’s Hurlburt Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 3 to 6 p.m. Registration is required by Monday, Feb. 23.

Call, whose business recently received the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce 2008 Small Business of the Year Award, will discuss “The Good, Bad, and Ugly” of starting and managing a small business. He will also talk about lessons he has learned in the entrepreneurial world and provide advice to young entrepreneurs.

Call's company was recently featured in Virginia Business Magazine, which recognizes companies with fewer than 100 employees that have demonstrated remarkable growth, perseverance in the face of adversity, or community and industry leadership. He was also featured in the latest Magazine of Radford University.

“Entrepreneur Express” is a series of free workshops offered throughout Virginia that provide interactive discussions and exercises covering key elements of business practices. RU workshop segments will include starting and operating a business, growing a business and marketing strategy, financing and managing assets, available resources, and a resource fair.

Sponsors for RU’s “Entrepreneur Express” include the Virginia Small Business Development Centers; RU’s Small Business Development Center, which is part of RU’s College of Business and Economics; SCORE; Virginia Cooperative Extension; the Commonwealth of Virginia; Virginia Economic Bridge Inc.; and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance.

To learn more about “Entrepreneur Express” and to register for the RU workshop, visit http://www.rvarc.org/entfair/entexpress/expressregister.html or call (276) 676-3768. To learn more about RU’s 2009 Homecoming festivities, visit http://www.radford.edu/~alumni/homecoming/eventsked09.html.