Webinar Series equips municipalities with practical strategies and expert insights to support the long-term success of legacy and second-stage businesses. Throughout the series, participants will explore approaches to identifying business risks early, strengthening business retention and expansion efforts, preventing displacement, supporting ownership transitions, and celebrating the contributions of established businesses.
Designed to complement the Legacy Forward cohort experience, each session connects municipal leaders with subject-matter experts and actionable strategies they can apply within their communities. Together, the webinars provide a framework for helping established businesses remain resilient and positioned to contribute to the economic and cultural vitality of their communities for years to come.
Each webinar in the series must be registered for individually.
Events In This Series
Thursday, Nov. 11, 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET
Small Business Anti-Displacement Strategies
As communities experience growth, rising costs, and changing commercial corridors, legacy and second-stage businesses can face increasing pressure to relocate or close. This Legacy Forward webinar will explore how cities can use anti-displacement strategies to help established businesses remain rooted as their communities evolve.
SBAN will deliver a one-hour presentation introducing the SBAN Small Business Anti-Displacement Toolkit and its application to legacy business preservation.
The webinar will help participants understand the different pressures that contribute to small business displacement, and the range of tools cities can use to respond. Rather than focusing on a single program or intervention, the presentation will emphasize that effective anti-displacement work requires cities to consider multiple strategies and select approaches that respond to their local conditions.
Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET
Keeping Businesses Local Through Ownership Transitions
This Legacy Forward webinar will explore the opportunities and challenges associated with succession planning, ownership transitions, and long-term business preservation. Participants will hear from experts on strategies that can help business owners prepare for a successful transition, whether through family succession, employee ownership, sale to a new owner, or other transition models. The session will also examine how municipalities can support business owners before a transition becomes urgent and create an environment that helps established businesses remain locally rooted.
Through practical insights and real-world examples, participants will gain a better understanding of key considerations for succession planning and ways municipalities can strengthen their support for legacy and second-stage businesses throughout the transition process.
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET
Celebrating Legacy Businesses and Sustaining Local Impact
The session will highlight strategies municipalities can use to elevate the visibility of established businesses, recognize their contributions to local communities, and connect them to meaningful resources and opportunities for long-term success. Participants will have an opportunity to share accomplishments, challenges, and emerging approaches while learning from the experiences of peer cities. The webinar will close with a focus on sustaining momentum.
Municipalities will consider how the tools, partnerships, policies, and strategies developed through Legacy Forward can become part of their ongoing economic development efforts and create lasting support for the businesses that contribute to the character, vitality, and economic strength of their communities.
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