ALEAP will host a topic night at Edgewater Pavilion, according to a press release.

Topic night is a time to come together with other entrepreneurs and share ideas. ALEAP participants had the chance to vote for the topic of the night prior to the event and guerilla marketing was chosen. The special guest facilitator is a marketing professional from a Fortune 500 company who will lead the discussion on using guerilla marketing to form memorable connections with customers and how to make an approach stand out among the competition.

The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Edgewater Bay pavilion. Local entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Freeborn County area are encouraged to attend.

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. For more information about the ALEAP program, contact ALEDA at 507-373- 3930.