Current and aspiring entrepreneurs are encouraged to attend a grand opening celebration Oct. 7 for DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneur Center,where Hattie Bryant, host of the PBS program “Small Business School,”, will discuss the small business revolution sweeping the world. The free, public event runs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., 8th floor.

Bryant, whose program reaches over one million viewers of 200 PBS stations across the country, will begin her remarks at 3 p.m. in Room 8005. The grand opening also features a ribbon-cutting to inaugurate the center’s new space in Room 8100. The center’s staff will be available to answer questions about its services, and entrepreneurs working with the center will display their products and literature.

The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center was created through a five-year, $2.5-million pledge made in June by the Chicago-based Coleman Foundation to the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. The center’s goals are to educate students in entrepreneurship, link aspiring entrepreneurs to resources for establishing new enterprises and enhance DePaul’s entrepreneurship outreach and research. The center offers mentoring and business services to help entrepreneurs start and grow their ventures.

“Although DePaul has offered entrepreneurial classes for the past 20 years, the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center is a huge expansion by academia from the classroom into the entrepreneurial ‘real’ world,” said Harold Welsch, Coleman Entrepreneurship Chair and founder of the center.

“For a long time, DePaul has recognized and worked with small business owners,” Welsch said. “Many developed their business ideas while attending classes here at DePaul. This center supports their ongoing efforts for establishing and growing their entrepreneurial businesses. The center also will work with the City of Chicago, State of Illinois and Chicago-area communities by providing knowledge capital and resources to help community entrepreneurs succeed.”

Bryant’s career entrepreneurship began in 1977, while she worked as a public relations specialist for the University of North Texas. Convinced she needed to sell or own something, she embarked on two years of research to launch Leadership Development Corporation. While researching the business, she gained experience as a top-10 performer for a leading franchisor of business education materials.

For the next 15 years, Bryant taught management, sales and customer service in the classrooms of hundreds of small businesses and from the convention platform. She presented seminars in 47 states and produced teaching materials for such customers as ABC Television and Frito-Lay. Through her work, she met many highly successful small business owners who also were outstanding members of their communities.

In May of 1993, Bryant began working with broadcast executive producer Bruce Camber to bring the “best practices” of small business owners to public television. At the time, there was no programming on television to teach people how to start, run and grow a business, and there was very little information about the many millions of people who have become successful business owners. Introduced in 1994, “Small Business School” features Bryant interviewing successful entrepreneurs about how they built their businesses. A range of businesses have been profiled, including apparel manufacturers, candy factories, restaurants, software providers, transportation services and tourist attractions. More than 200 half-hour episodes of “Small Business School” have been shot at locations across the nation.

In 1995, “Small Business School” launched its Web site, SmallBusinessSchool.org, featuring resource links for entrepreneurs. The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business named it “the definitive site for small business owners.”

Bryant, who lives in San Diego and co-owns her business with her husband, Bruce, also has penned a book, “Beating the Odds” (Prima, 1996). The couple received the Award of Excellence from the White House Office of Small Business Advocacy for their success in bringing the story of small business owners to television.

For more information about the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, call 312/362-8625.