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Ukrainian Business Forum Continues to Empower US-Based Ukrainian Entrepreneurs with New Event
On February 26, 2023, a Manhattan-based G Gallery hosted a hybrid entrepreneurial panel event “Logistics and transportation business in the USA”. It adds to a series of events under the umbrella of the Ukrainian Business Forum (UBF) led by a Ukrainian-born international entrepreneur Denys Kanel and his partners Yurii Yurkovsky and Artem Sauliak. The event is sponsored by the event organizers the Ukrainian USA & Canada network, and the digital agency E-PR.
The mission of UBF is to bring together Ukrainian entrepreneurs and companies and give business owners the tools they need to succeed, regardless of their industry, size, or location. Denys believes that the program’s main goal is to connect Ukrainian businesses all around the world, both in person and virtually. He is passionate about helping entrepreneurs learn, providing them with valuable resources, and giving them access to the best opportunities to expand their businesses. UBF focuses on three key areas of growth: networking, education, and mentoring.
This time, UBF’s event focused on logistics and transportation business. Many US businesses in the transportation industry faced a visible decline in 2020 when the pandemic first hit, and the sector is now still recovering from the drop. It means that entrepreneurial opportunities are growing, and those interested in starting an enterprise in the sphere of logistics and transportation are now at an advantage.
With this knowledge in mind, Denys Kanel and his fellow organizers made sure the event covered all the crucial industry news and trends and offered participants relevant, actionable knowledge they could apply to their entrepreneurial ventures.
“At UBF events, we always strive to deliver useful up-to-date information to provide Ukrainian entrepreneurs with knowledge and opportunities to grow their enterprises or launch new businesses abroad. Besides, UBF promotes effective networking and mentoring to facilitate stronger international business ties,” comments Denys.
As usual, UBF’s strong suit is the selection of speakers for every event, and “Logistics and transportation business in the USA” was no exception. The event featured both offline and online speakers to allow for more interactivity and erase physical borders between industry experts and participants. The in-person speaker delegation consisted of:
- CJ Karman, founder and CEO of EZLOGZ Inc.
- Denys Paniv, Co-Owner and CEO of Alvil Trucking Inc.
- Alex Popovych, CEO, Founder of VISTA Transholding Inc.
- Vasyl Kushnir, CEO of Start CDL Inc.
All the speakers are experienced entrepreneurs with years of experience in the logistics and transportation industry under their belts. They discussed their own path to business success and analyzed other real business cases. Each case study served as an illustration to show participants how to start, grow, and scale a logistics and transportation business in today’s economy.
Denys Kanel and his team also invited two stellar online speakers
- Mustafa Nayyem, Head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine;
- Volodymyr Bondarenko, Deputy mayor of the secretary of the Kiyv Government in Ukraine.
The conversation with Volodymyr Bondarenko was especially multifaceted and fruitful. Apart from talking business, Bondarenko told event participants how Kyiv residents and entrepreneurs live today, how many Kyivans have now returned from forced immigration, what are the internal displacement trends, and what are the main problems the city experiences due to regular air strikes.
In addition, speakers provided the Ukrainian business community in the US with crucial information about the operational assistance Kyiv needs in the future as well as their expectations from Western partners.
To express national solidarity and support fellow Ukrainians affected by the ongoing war, Denys and his partners traditionally held a charity auction that managed to raise $73,000 for Ukraine. The auction presented very special items with a huge cultural and symbolic significance:
- Oleg Verniaiev, a Donetsk-born Ukrainian gymnast and the Olympic champion, donated two medals he won at the 2015 World University Games in Guangzhou and a 2017 Taipei competition. Event organizers underlined that these medals are not just a memory – they represent the strength of spirit and the story of success of the renowned gymnast and all of Ukraine.
- A piece of the Kyiv Glass Bridge that was hit by a Russian rocket in October 2022. This is another symbolically charged item. The bridge withstood the attack, just as Kyiv and the entire Ukraine continue to withstand and persevere.
- The flag of Ukraine with signatures by:
- Kyrylo Tymoshenko (former Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine)
- Denys Monastyrskyi (former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine)
- Ruslan Stefanchuk (Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine)
- Kyrylo Budanov (Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate)
- Maxym Samilenko (Commander of the Army Aviation).
The signature combination of a business-savvy approach and a strong sense of solidarity is what has made the event so successful and impactful for the US-based Ukrainian entrepreneurial community. The following event will be held on April 23 in the same space of G Gallery. The focus of the next forum will be on construction and real estate. Potential speakers can contact UBF and pitch their ideas to Denys and his team.
By using UBF’s resources and expertise, Denys Kanel and his partners hope that more Ukrainian entrepreneurs will be able to grow their businesses. They believe that UBF events will not only benefit the participants but will also have a positive impact on American society and its overall business climate.
