"Business Organization and Insurance" is the topic of the third in a series of Small Business Fundamentals Workshops, scheduled Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Room 509, McCarthy Hall on the campus of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College.

Guest speakers will be Meade Snyder, a partner in the Clifton Forge law firm of Snyder and Snyder PLC, and Ed Hemp, owner of Hemp Insurance Agency, Inc. of Covington.

Snyder's presentation will cover legal considerations for starting a business and the types of business entities that are available including Sole Proprietorships Partnerships, S Corporations, C Corporations and LLC's.

Snyder will discuss what these types of entities mean as far as protecting assets, how profits are taxed, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of entity. Snyder will also discuss the steps necessary to form a company, and the costs involved.

Snyder, a native of Alleghany County, is a graduate of both the University of Virginia and the UVa School of Law, and has been in practice with his father, James D. Snyder, for more than 10 years. The firm primarily deals with wills, trusts, estates, commercial and corporate start-ups.

Hemp's presentation will include the different types of business insurance offered and how business owners can best protect their firms and themselves. His talk will cover general liability, property, business and personal property, workers compensation, professional liability and other forms of insurance.

Hemp has owned the insurance agency since 1975. The company has been in operation in the area since 1903. The agency deals with all lines of insurance, and specializes in business insurance. Hemp has lived in Covington most of his life and holds an Associate Degree from DSLCC.

The workshop series is sponsored by the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation, the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance and DSLCC. There will be time for questions and answers to give participants an opportunity to address specicic issues.

The workshops are FREE and open to the public, but anyone interested in attending should contact the Chamber at 962-2178 or the AHEDC at 862-0936 to reserve a space.