NETWORKING FOR WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS An opportunity for women business owners to network face-to-face with many federal,state and local government agencies and private sector companies in the Greater Louisville area, will occur on June 8, 2000 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The "Federal Dollar$ and Sense Women's Procurement Conference" will be held at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel, in Louisville, KY. This conference, which has never been done before in the region, will give women business owners the chance to get detailed answers to questions about procurement opportunities. The featured speaker will be Luz Hopewell, Director for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization with the Federal Department of Transportation. Successful women entrepreneurs and government procurement specialists will be featured at the "Federal Dollar$ and Sense Women's Procurement Conference", sharing their personal experiences and advice for procurement success. Area banks, contractors, and vendors will be available to explain their programs and discussopportunities for women business owners. Aida Alvarez, Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), recently stated that there are 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States, which is 40 percent of all businesses. Women business owners currently employ over 27.5 million people and generate more than $3.6 trillion in sales. These numbers are impressive, and will continue to grow at an accelerated rate in the future. Procurement opportunities for women business owners reflect these trends. The registration fee for the event is $40, which includes a lunch and refreshments. The conference is hosted by The Greater Louisville Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Kentucky Procurement Assistance Program, Greater Louisville, Inc. -- The Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Women's Business Owners (NAWBO). For more details, or to register for the conference, call the Greater Louisville Small Business Development Center at 502-574-4770, or contact Michael Ashcraft, Director of the Greater Louisville Small Business Development Center at mashcraft@louky.org. Posted 05/17/00 (W-SN455849).

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