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REPORT
IDENTIFIES TOP CONCERNS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS For
Immediate Release Contact WASHINGTON – The Public Forum Institute has released the final report from the Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century conference. The report can be downloaded from its website www.publicforuminstitute.org. Using
wireless keypads, participants identified access to capital and
health insurance costs as the top concerns facing women small
business owners, receiving nearly double the amount of votes as
taxes and more than three times the amount for the current state of
the economy. The
two-day conference, a joint effort of the Public Forum Institute,
the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Small Business
Administration, attracted more than 1,200 women business owners to
Washington, DC. In addition, hundreds more participated in satellite
locations established in Bangor (ME), St. Louis (MO), Little Rock
(AR) and Orlando (FL). President
George W. Bush delivered the keynote address, highlighting the
administration’s policies designed to stimulate growth among
America’s small businesses. In
order to build on the success of the Washington, DC, event, the
Public Forum Institute is organizing a series of regional events.
During the first regional event, held in Nashville, Tennessee on
July 22, the rising cost of health care continued to be the focus of
participants. 73% of participants identified cost as the biggest
obstacle to providing health benefits to small business employees.
This differed only slightly from the 76% who answered the same
during the Washington, DC, event. "We
are obviously bullish on the ability of women entrepreneurs - making
them the focus of a series of events - to spark a recovery now that
our nation is in a recession,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of
the Public Forum Institute. Upcoming
forums are scheduled for New Britain, CT on August 8; Houston, Texas
on August 15; and, St. Louis, Missouri on September 9. For more
information, visit the Forum website www.publicforuminstitute.org. # # # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Public Forum Institute is an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to creating the most advanced and effective means of fostering public discourse. Based in Washington, DC, the Forum develops and coordinates public forums across the country – engaging citizens, experts, community leaders, elected officials and others in substantive discussions on dozens of policy issues. Through a partnership with foundations, print and broadcast media, policy makers, opinion leaders and corporate philanthropy, the Public Forum Institute serves local communities across the nation, contributing to a more informed public. The Forum takes no position on the issues. |
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