Tennessee  Economic Council on Women Taps KOSBE to Team Up for Annual Tri-Cities Tennessee Regional Women's Business Summit

"One of our primary goals is to improve the limited state funding of the Tennessee Economic Council on Women by collaborating with other state agencies, community groups, women's advocates and others to proide research and/or programs that advance women's economic status.  This project is a perfect fit."   --Jennifer Rawls, Executive Director of the Tennessee Economic Council on Women

Kingsport, TN – February 25, 2008 – The Tennessee Economic Council on Women (TECW) assesses Tennessee women’s economic status. It develops and advocates solutions to address women’s needs to help women achieve economic autonomy. In setting its priorities, the Council selects issues that are timely and likely to result in positive changes for women.  Jennifer Rawls, Executive Director of thee Tennessee Economic Council on Women, Nashville, Tenn., has allotted KOSBE a grant of $4,000 to organize a regional women's business event to take place before budgeted funds expire on June 30th.  TECW will award KOSBE a grant of $2,000 in 2009, with the understanding that the event will be self-sustained beginning with 2010.  KOSBE, a partnership between the City of Kingsport and the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce, is working with several other regional Chambers of Commerce, including but not limited to Bristol and Johnson City, to put on a new annual event entitled Tri-Cities Tennessee Regional Women's Business Summit. 

Primarily, the inaugural Tri-Cities Tennessee Regional Women’s Business Summit  will provide a platform for the discussion of issues disproportionately impacting women business owners and entrepreneurs, career women, and professional women; and serve as a resource and starting point for satisfying the knowledge gaps and developing real solutions to overcome the constraints women in business often face.  The secondary goal is to build a powerful new regional network for collaboration and mentorship.  The Summit will inspire and unite women of all ages, ethnic groups, professions, managerial levels, and economic status.  The day-long event will include interactive workshops and powerful panel discussions on a variety of topics, including Business and Management, Career Planning, Health, Business Ownership and Entrepreneurism, Marketing, Finance, and Law.  This year's theme is 'Unlocking the Door to Economic Self-Sufficiency.'

"The Summit is a regional event that is intended to encompass the whole Northeast Tennessee region including Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, Elizabethton, Mountain City, Jonesborough, Erwin, Greeneville and surrounding rural areas, as well as draw participation from bordering neighbors in Virginia and North Carolina," said Aundrea Wilcox, Executive Director of KOSBE.  "A project of this scale can never be accomplished operating as an autonomous organization working in a vacuum.  It requires wide regional collaboration to maximize efforts and optimize resources, and an integrated planning approach which will benefit the entire area."