Contact:
Barb Pruitt, Kauffman Foundation, 816-932-1288, bpruitt@kauffman.org
Andrew Kalish, Edelman, 212-704-4531, Andrew.Kalish@edelman.com
The 'Build a Stronger America' campaign to give a unified voice to entrepreneurs and business owners
(WASHINGTON and KANSAS CITY, Mo.) Sept. 23, 2009 – The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation today officially launched "Build a Stronger America," a movement to unite entrepreneurs and help give them a stronger voice in the public discussion about the country's economic future. The Movement went "live" before 1,200 of America's most prolific entrepreneurs at the Inc. 500 conference in Washington. Through the Movement’s Web site (www.BuildaStrongerAmerica.com), entrepreneurs and business owners will, for the first time, have a central hub to share their stories, hear about issues affecting them and create a unified voice.
"Entrepreneurs are the key to our country's economic recovery because they are creating the jobs and innovations that will bring us out of this decline and into sustainability and growth," said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. "As a group, entrepreneurs are the silent heroes of our economy, and their success is heavily reliant on many factors outside of their direct control. The Kauffman Foundation is proud to give them a platform for the first time to share their stories and amplify their voice."
By creating a unified, clear voice, "Build a Stronger America" will assist entrepreneurs and business owners in influencing the current dialogue on the economy to ensure that their specific needs are at the forefront of the decision-making process.
Entrepreneurs, and those who support them, can join the Movement at www.BuildAStrongerAmerica.com to become part of an "entrepreneurial community" that can provide feedback regarding policies and initiatives affecting entrepreneurs.
"Having built a business from scratch, I know the challenges that aspiring business owners face," said Chris Gardner, CEO of Gardner Rich & Co., author of his biography and inspiration for the film, "The Pursuit of Happyness," and author of the new book, "Start Where You Are." "Entrepreneurs need to come together to make their voices heard, and the Kauffman Foundation is providing them with the opportunity to do just that."
Through its various initiatives, such as business development programs FastTrac® and Urban Entrepreneur Partnership, the Kauffman Foundation works to advance entrepreneurship education and training efforts, to promote entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and to better facilitate the commercialization of new technologies by entrepreneurs and others, all of which have great promise for improving the economic welfare of the nation and world.
