Greenbelt, MD - Yesterday, EDC President and CEO Jim Coleman joined an auspicious panel of speakers to provide advice and encouragement to the crowd of women business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals attending the "Women of Prince George's Conference" at the Greenbelt Marriott. This day-long conference, under the theme "We Rise: Together, Relevant and Victorious", featured several successful local women business owners and inspirational speakers who encouraged the attendees to be the heroes of their own success stories. Mr. Coleman, one of two male presenters at the conference, participated in an informational panel discussion that talked about the tools women and minority firms should utilize to grow their businesses.
"The EDC is your partner for success you're in the right place today," said Coleman. "We connect our serious entrepreneurs with the 14 federal agencies that control over $12 billion in procurement contracts, and we'll get you prepared. Don't go in there grovelin'. Cut to the chase, look sharp, and present marketing materials that show these agencies that you know you're competitive and serious about doing business. Prince George's County is on fire with development and opportunities for growth and the Economic Development Corporation can provide a roadmap for women owned businesses to get ready, get set and go grow. And that is just the beginning! Once you have shown that the County and the federal government can count on you to get the job done, take your message to the private sector and tell them 'Here's how I can help you.' That's gettin' it done!"
Mr. Coleman was joined on the panel by Shuraie Mackin, Assistant Director for Marketing and Outreach with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Cydnee Phoenix, Executive Director of the Supplier Development and Diversity Division of the Prince George's county Office of Central Services, and Jennifer Jones, CEO of Kylour International. Each panelist encouraged the attendees to exercise their resource muscles by networking and reaching out to seasoned companies and organizations to help train and mentor them to get ready for their next level of success.
The mission of the Women of Prince George's (WPG) is to create a network where women business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals can receive educational experiences, inspiration and resources to support business growth. The goal of WPG is to highlight success stories, facilitate meaningful business connections, and give access to successful women around the Beltway. Conference attendees also heard from Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks, Marissa Levin, Founder and CEO of Successful Culture, Karen Alston, Founder of Spectrum Circle, Candice Camille, WellologistTM, and Miriam Niles, Pastor of Real Life Today Church in Washington, D.C.
Stephanie Bolton James, the Co-Founder of Women of Prince George's, was delighted that so many women from Prince George's County had come together to receive the empowering information that was presented by the highly successful women and men during the conference.
"I'm so proud of the talent we have in Prince George's County, like Jim Coleman, Jennifer Jones and Cydnee Phoenix. It is refreshing to have such a wealth of resources like this in our County, and not have to go somewhere else to find it," said Bolton James. "There are a lot of good things happening in Prince George's County, and like Mr. Coleman said, 'folks need to get on board with Prince George's county before there's no room for them grow'. We use the Women of Prince George's Conference to consolidate all of the resources that are available in Prince George's County to grow a business. We are the last frontier with land to develop and everyone needs to know how to work the system to be successful."
Please join the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation as it celebrates women at its 1st Annual Women's Excellence and Leadership Luncheon which will take place at the MGM National Harbor on Thursday, June 8, 2017.
For more information about the Women's Excellence and Leadership Luncheon, please visit www.pgcedcexcellence.com. To register for this upcoming event, contact Nichelle Holmes at 301-583-4650 or naholmes@pgcedc.com or visit www.pgcedc.com/events.
EDC President & Ceo Jim Coleman Challenges Local Women Business Owners To Get Ready, Get Set And Go! At Women Of Prince George's Conference