Tennessee Celebrates First Ever Global Entrepreneurship Week
Released on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 - 1:00 am under
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development today announced statewide events to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week November 17 – November 23. The Business Enterprise Resource Office, the division of ECD that assists small, women- and - minority owned businesses, is promoting workshops, seminars and other special events statewide that are designed to highlight the importance of new and small businesses to Tennessee's economy.
Over thirty different organizations will host events for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in all regions of the state during the week, and Middle Tennessee State University will host 6 workshops on and off campus between November 17 and 23, covering topics from the importance of education in the global marketplace to expanding internationally.
Other Global Entrepreneurship Week events include a University of Tennessee Entrepreneurship Report Release in Columbia, TN, Entrepreneurial Lollapalooza 2008 in Knoxville, TN, a business pitch competition titled “Will This Float” sponsored by the Tri-Cities chambers of commerce, an Entrepreneurship Discussion Panel at the University of Tennessee in Martin, TN and the Tennessee Innovation Conference hosted by the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation in Nashville, TN. Other events and specific details can be found on the event website at http://tinyurl.com/55cp2c.
Small Businesses make up approximately 99.7 percent of all employers nationally, and they employ about half of all private sector employees. In Tennessee, 84 percent of businesses have fewer than 20 employees and generate more than $23 billion or 12% of total personal income.
“Entrepreneurship is the backbone of our state’s economy,” said Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “Our department is proud to support small business efforts across the state through BERO. The jobs created by small businesses fuel economic growth at the local level, creating a solid foundation that attracts major industry to the state and starts a chain reaction of development. Our efforts should not come as a surprise in a state where the Governor himself is an entrepreneur. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is a prime example of how a good idea coupled with hard work and ingenuity breeds success. A business plan drafted by Gov. Bredesen at his kitchen table eventually grew to become a publicly traded company with more than 6,000 employees.”
About Global Entrepreneurship Week / USA
With the goal to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity, Global
Entrepreneurship Week /USA will encourage youth to think big, to turn their ideas into reality, and to
make their mark. From November 17-23, 2008, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Thousands of activities are being planned in more than 70 countries around the world. Global Entrepreneurship
Week / USA is: sponsored nationally by the Kauffman Foundation and the Acton Foundation for
Entrepreneurial Excellence; founded globally by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Make Your Mark campaign; sponsored globally by NYSE Euronext, IBM and Ernst & Young; and, supported by JA Worldwide, Endeavor, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, DECA, YPO-WPO, and National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. To view a complete list of participating countries or to learn more, visit www.unleashingideas.org.
To learn more about services provided by BERO, visit our web site at www.tnecd.gov/bero
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