Governor Perdue Announces 2010 Entrepreneur Summit

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that the 2010 Entrepreneur Summit will take place March 2-3 at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.  The theme for this year’s summit is “The Journey Continues...Survive and Thrive!” and will feature remarks by Governor Perdue and participation from members of the business and economic development communities in Georgia. 

             “As a small business owner, I know firsthand that successful entrepreneurs are catalysts for economic growth in Georgia,” said Governor Perdue.  “By sharing best practices and valuable information with state and local business officials, it is our hope that this year’s Entrepreneur Summit will have a lasting impact that encourages innovation and continued success for entrepreneurism in Georgia.”

               Held following National Entrepreneurship Week (NEW), the summit aims to promote and encourage entrepreneur development throughout Georgia, and builds on the mission of NEW to celebrate America’s entrepreneurs. 

Georgia continuously ranks in the top tier in many leading indicators for entrepreneur development, and is ranked first in the United States for entrepreneurial activity, according to the 2009 Kauffman Economic Outlook.  A significant portion of Georgia’s economy is driven by small business, with 87 percent of all Georgia businesses employing fewer than five people.

   “Since its inception in 2003, the Entrepreneur Summit has made great strides in encouraging and praising the work of small business and entrepreneurial efforts throughout Georgia,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.  “We realize that the impact brought about by the success of this business community is felt most at the local level, so we view this summit as an opportunity to ensure that small business owners and entrepreneurs know about the support available to them to ensure their continued success in Georgia.”

The Entrepreneur Summit is designed to offer innovative best practices and entrepreneur education to Georgia’s economic developers, chambers of commerce, local officials, tourism professionals, downtown leaders and others interested in fostering entrepreneur and small business development. For more information and to register for the 2010 Entrepreneur Summit, visit http://www.gamarketing.org/2010EntrepreneurSummitWebsite.

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