This quarter’s ALEAP Speaker Night event will feature Holly Karsjens of The Meraki Studios, HK Fine Art Photography and Redline Waterfowl.

Karsjens will be sharing her journey to entrepreneurship and her passion for her businesses. The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Freeborn Bank Building.

The event is open to everyone with a passion for entrepreneurship and small business growth in our community.

The ALEAP program is an initiative to promote and assist Albert Lea and Freeborn County entrepreneurs through a multi-faceted approach. Features of the program are monthly networking gatherings on the third Thursday of the month, educational and training opportunities, available incubator and co-working space shared with other entrepreneurs and micro lending/gap financing options. The program is housed under the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency umbrella and is a partnership between ALEDA, the local Blandin Community Leadership cohort, Riverland Community College and the Riverland Foundation.

The two-year goals for the ALEAP program are to create five new businesses and 15 new jobs.

Since the program started in June 2015, ALEAP participants have started five new businesses and created 18 new jobs.

ALEDA is the local economic development organization made up of two separate entities — the city of Albert Lea Port Authority and Greater Jobs, Inc. New or expanding business owners looking for assistance, or who are interested in more information about the ALEAP program,  can contact ALEDA at 507-373- 3930.