As part of National Small Business Week (May 12-16) and in partnership with the Women”™s Business Development Council and the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has proclaimed May 13 “Women Owned Business Day” in Connecticut.
To commemorate the influence of female business owners on the economic growth of the state, WBDC and PCSW will host a free breakfast event followed by roundtable discussions at 10 a.m. to noon May 13 at the Capitol, with coffee and networking at 9:30 a.m.
There are an estimated 8.6 million women-led businesses in America today. These businesses represent $1.3 trillion nationally and $30 billion in Connecticut.
The morning”™s keynote speaker will be Erin Andrew, assistant administrator, Office of Women”™s Ownership at the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“We now know two out of every three jobs are created by small business,” said Andrew. “Women continue to be the fastest growing sector in the small-business community starting new businesses at a rate of 1,288 per day. The SBA believes in America”™s women entrepreneurs and small-business owners to create jobs and move our economy forward.”
“Providing female business owners with opportunities to network and discuss the challenges they face gaining access to capital and expanding their markets is critical,” said Fran Pastore, president and CEO of WBDC. “We are excited to work with Gov. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who continue to recognize that women-owned businesses are fueling the state”™s economy at unprecedented rates. Women-owned businesses will create over half of the 9.72 million new small-business jobs expected to be developed by 2018.”
The breakfast will serve as the first of a series of events that will highlight female small-business owners as important decision makers who affect the economic health of the nation, the WBDC said.
“Studies have shown that most women go into business for themselves so they can spend more time with family and for reasons having to do with self-fulfillment,” said Teresa Younger, executive director, PCSW. “As a society, we need to honor both women”™s time ”“ through family-friendly workplace policies, and their talents ”“ with more access to credit, greater opportunities to secure contracts, and more diverse representation on corporate boards.”
For more information, call 203-353-1750 or register at ctwbdc.org.
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