Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs' Conference/Expo hosted by Nationwide

BLACK ENTERPRISE ENTREPRENEURS CONFERENCE + EXPO HOSTED BY NATIONWIDE INSURANCE BEGINS MAY 22 IN ATLANTA  

Nation’s Leading African American Entrepreneurs and Corporate Executives Gather to Promote and Profit Minority Businesses  

BLACK ENTERPRISE, the nation’s premier business resource for African Americans, will hold its 2011 Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide Insurance May 22-25 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Designed to promote the economic growth of emerging and established minority businesses, the event brings together more than 1,200 of the nation’s leading entrepreneurs and corporate professionals to network and seek out new opportunities.

Until the devastating impact of the great recession, black business growth in the United States was a leading force in our economic expansion. According to numbers published in February by the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners, the number of U.S. black-owned businesses increased 60.5% between 2002 and 2007, more than triple the national rate of 18%.

“As the U.S. economy heads toward recovery, African American businesses must restore their momentum by aggressively positioning themselves to exploit new opportunities, seize emerging markets, and gain new access to capital,” says BLACK ENTERPRISE President & CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr.

“With this goal in mind, our Entrepreneurs Conference is designed to provide business owners with the tactical thinking, innovative strategies, and networking opportunities they need to reach that next level of profitability.”  

Nationwide Insurance joins BLACK ENTERPRISE as the host sponsor for this year’s Entrepreneurs Conference. Headquartered in Columbus, OH, Nationwide understands the power of business.

“Our company is the result of innovative thinking from entrepreneurs who created a business some 80 years ago to meet the insurance needs of local farmers,” said Steve Rasmussen, CEO, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. “We started with a focus on advocacy for customers and today we are a multibillion-dollar organization, maintaining our commitment to listening to and meeting the needs of our policyholders.”

Rasmussen cites Nationwide’s agency model and supplier relationships as examples of the company’s commitment to growing businesses. “Our agency ownership offers opportunities for those interested in having their own business, and this conference aligns with our efforts to help build, engage and support them.”

Nationwide Insurance will recruit for agency consideration and lead some of the core business development sessions during the conference.  

For more than 40 years, BLACK ENTERPRISE has served as the unprecedented leader in black business development. Sessions at this year’s Entrepreneurs Conference tackle how to gain access to credit, finding alternate sources for capital, exploiting social network marketing, emerging overseas markets, brand expansion, new opportunities in real estate, making money in entertainment and sports, and securing government contracts. For the aspiring entrepreneur, the Small Business Success™ Bootcamp offers a step-by-step approach to kick-starting a new enterprise. Plus, our Elevator Pitch Competition will award $10,000 for the best new business idea.  

To access updates on the Entrepreneurs Conference, follow BLACK ENTERPRISE on Twitter  and track the Hashtags to join conversations on the event:

#2011EC

#EC2011

#fireyourboss  

The 2011 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide is presented by Ariel Investments, PepsiCo and Walmart. Platinum sponsors include AT&T, FedEx, United Healthcare, and Wendy’s International. Corporate partners include Google.

For more information or to register call 800-209-7229 or visit www.blackenterprise.com/ec