Meet our 2022 BizFair Keynote Speaker Efrem Fesaha
We’re excited to announce our 2022 BizFair Keynote Speaker, Efrem Fesaha of Boon Boona Coffee. He is a first generation Eritrean American whose family moved to the US in 1988 when his father received an offer to work for Boeing as a Mechanical Engineer.
- Graduated high school in West Seatle
- Received B.A. from Washington State University
- Worked for 13 years in corporate finance locally (Holland America, Nordstrom and Amazon)
In 2011, on an extended visit to his native country of Eritrea, Efrem was inspired by the coffee culture in its capital Asmara and wanted to pursue a venture in coffee. Upon returning to Seatle, he launched Boon Boona Coffee with the goal of sourcing the best quality coffee beans from Africa. Working closely with coffee farmers from many African nations, he developed long-lasting relationships with them and helped ensure the sustainability of their crops. The first Boon Boona Coffee Roastery and Café location were established in Downtown Renton, a second one in the Central District of Seatle and a third one is on its way on University Ave, near the University of Washington.
Efrem won the US SBA Washington Small Business Person of the Year award for 2022 and was recently named the 2022 Pacific Northwest Small Business Person of the Year.
Join Efrem on Saturday, September 24th for this FREE hybrid one-day conference. His keynote begins at 8 AM PT and kicks off the full-day event concluding at 4 PM. Attend sessions spread across five different tracks. Sessions that range from planning, starting, and building to growing your small business with the opportunity to learn from experts.
Throughout the day, if you attend the event in person at Renton Technical College, Renton, WA, you can also visit tables staffed by federal, state, and local agencies. They will answer all your questions and you can gather information essential for the success of your small business. If you are attending virtually, you can visit the virtual booths for similar purposes.