Contact:
Lacey Graverson, Kauffman Foundation, (816) 932-1116, lgraverson@kauffman.org
Matthew Hantz, M Booth & Associates, (212) 481-7000, matthewh@mbooth.com
Presidential Proclamation Shines Light on Important Role Entrepreneurs Play in Building the Economy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 17, 2010) – The President of the United States and his Administration have sent a strong signal in support of the entrepreneurs who power the national economy. They announced November 19th as National Entrepreneurs’ Day in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week. The effort to claim the day was spearheaded by the Grasshopper Entrepreneur Movement. The Kauffman Foundation is the U.S. organization behind Global Entrepreneurship Week, which runs from Nov. 15 to 21.
Senior members of the Administration will be attending Global Entrepreneurship Week events in Washington, DC, including The Policy Spotlight for Entrepreneurs, held today. The Administration also is blogging on the topic of entrepreneurship to showcase the important contributions entrepreneurs make to local communities and the nation as a whole.
“All Americans can play a role in increasing the prevalence and success of new start-ups,” President Obama said in a statement. “Business leaders can mentor a budding entrepreneur who has an original idea and the will to execute, but could benefit from the guidance of an experienced owner or operator.”
“One of the chief goals of Global Entrepreneurship Week is to connect would-be entrepreneurs with the tools, resources and mentors that propel them to start new firms, and in turn, create jobs,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation dedicated to entrepreneurship.
Now in its third year, Global Entrepreneurship Week brings together aspiring and inspiring entrepreneurs, helping them embrace originality, imagination and ingenuity through local, national and global activities. Co-founded by the Kauffman Foundation and Enterprise UK, a business-led, government-backed campaign in the United Kingdom, it helps develop young people’s knowledge, skills and networks to inspire them to grow sustainable enterprises.
Later this month, on November 27, another day for entrepreneurs is being claimed: Small Business Saturday. While Black Friday drives traffic to big-box retailers and Cyber Monday encourages online shopping with national e-tailers, Small Business Saturday is a day that encourages consumers to think about small, independently owned stores while they are holiday shopping. Backed by American Express and a host of other non-profit and commercial organizations, Small Business Saturday was launched on November 8 by Kenneth Chennault, American Express CEO, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
About Global Entrepreneurship Week
With the goal to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity, Global Entrepreneurship Week will encourage youth to think big and turn their ideas into reality. From November 15-21, 2010, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement to generate new ideas and seek better ways of doing things. Tens of thousands of activities are being planned in dozens of countries. Global Entrepreneurship Week is founded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Enterprise UK. For more information, visit www.unleashingideas.org, and follow @unleashingideas on Twitter.
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