KC to be site of national small-business summit

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The nationwide forum will give opportunities for the public to shape national policy making|ret||ret||tab|

Keynote Speakers|ret||ret||tab|

Christine Todd Whitman,|ret||ret||tab|

New Jersey governor |ret||ret||tab|

Aida Alvarez,|ret||ret||tab|

administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration|ret||ret||tab|

Lisa Benenson, |ret||ret||tab|

editor-in-chief of Working Woman magazine |ret||ret||tab|

Women-owned small businesses are one of the fastest growing segments of the economy, and women business owners are one of the fastest-growing groups of Internet users. |ret||ret||tab|

Yet, in spite of these trends, women still face obstacles in starting and growing their own businesses: obtaining capital, family responsibilities, complex tax codes and the lack of affordable health insurance, according to organizers of the upcoming National Women's Small Business Summit: New Leaders for a New Century, to be held at the Kansas City Convention and Entertainment Center June 4 and 5.|ret||ret||tab|

The forum's purpose, organizers say, is for women small-business owners to have their say in what they need and expect from the next U.S. president and the 107th Congress. It is a chance to help create national policies.|ret||ret||tab|

"Our laws aren't keeping up with the new realities of business, particularly for women-owned business. Women business owners are heating up the economy dramatically, and we want to do whatever we can to keep that trend going, whether that means enacting more up-to-date laws and policies, getting rid of some of the dead wood already on the books or just getting out of the way," said Sen. Kit Bond, summit co-chair and chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business, in an April 11 press release.|ret||ret||tab|

"It will be up to Congress and the next president to enact an agenda which will work for them. This summit is about creating that agenda," he added.|ret||ret||tab|

Nikki Sells, co-owner of the Springfield office of Express Personnel Services and regional developer, said, "I think there is a real awareness by our elected officials of the need to listen to women and learn what their needs are in the workplace. It's great. It's something women have needed and wanted for a long time. Bringing businesswomen from across the state together to meet is very powerful. Nothing but good can come of it."|ret||ret||tab|

Besides Bond, a Missouri Republican, the women's summit is co-chaired by a bipartisan group of senators comprising California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry, Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu and Maine Republican Olympia Snowe.|ret||ret||tab|

The event itself is free, though there are optional charges for those who wish to participate in the opening dinner and summit luncheon. The cost is $60 to attend the June 4 opening gala dinner and $15 to attend the June 5 luncheon. Accommodations are up to the individual, though discounted rates are available at specific hotels.|ret||ret||tab|

The keynote address "How Will Women Entrepreneurs Succeed in the Years Ahead?" will be given by Debby Hopkins, chief financial officer of Lucent Technologies. Workshops offered in concurrent sessions are:|ret||ret||tab|

Access to Capital; |ret||ret||tab|

Procurement; |ret||ret||tab|

Taxes and Health Care; |ret||ret||tab|

Pensions; |ret||ret||tab|

Expanding Markets; |ret||ret||tab|

Entrepreneurship; and |ret||ret||tab|

Open Issues. |ret||ret||tab|

Keynote speakers for the June 5 luncheon will be Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey governor; Aida Alvarez, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Lisa Benenson, editor-in-chief of Working Woman magazine. An interactive meeting ends the forum.|ret||ret||tab|

"It is like a big focus group," said Mark Marich, of the co-sponsoring Public Forum Institute, in the release. He added that he expects several hundred people to participate in the event. |ret||ret||tab|

"We are hoping to come out of the workshop sessions with ideas that the leaders will present to the group as a whole. Everyone will use the eForum keypads to vote on ideas and issues that have come out of the workshop discussions," Marich said.|ret||ret||tab|

With eForum, each delegate will be given a small, wireless keypad to record answers to questions posed throughout the meeting by speakers. These answers will be instantly tabulated and displayed on monitors for all to see.|ret||ret||tab|

Paula Shumaker, owner of Monday Motivations, development director of Junior Achievement, and president and co-founder of the Executive Women's Club, said she looks forward to attending. |ret||ret||tab|

"I think it's a great opportunity for women to get the information they need to grow their businesses. I was the liaison for the women-owned business conferences here in the mid-'80s under the Ronald Reagan administration. That proved to be invaluable for the networking that went on and learning from the successes of the women. This is a wonderful opportunity to let your voice be heard because everyone counts," she said.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's fantastic to go and have southwest Missouri business-women recognized," added Betty J. Neal, CFP and investment advisor with Edward Jones, as well as a volunteer with SCORE. She said she hopes the feedback to the presenters will have an important impact on new legislation, making it "friendly to women business owners."|ret||ret||tab|

Nationwide, women own 38 percent of businesses, Sen. John Kerry said in the release. |ret||ret||tab|

"Clearly, recent years have seen substantial progress in breaking the glass ceiling. Now is the time in this period of economic prosperity to finish the job. It is my hope that this summit will lay out the opportunities and challenges ahead as we continue to support women's progress toward economic equality," Kerry added.|ret||ret||tab|

For more information on the nationwide summit, call 202-467-2770 or access information online at |bold_on|www.Public ForumInstitute.com.|ret||ret||tab|

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