Press Release
Center for Women’s Business Research And IBM to Partner on Roundtable and Research
Washington, DC – The Center for Women’s Business Research, the leading source of knowledge and information about women business owners and their enterprises worldwide, announced today that Marilyn D. Johnson, Vice President, Small and Medium Business Market Development, for the IBM Corporation, will serve as the Honorary Co-Chair of the Center’s 11th Annual Executive Roundtable, to be held in New York City on April 27, 2005. The Executive Roundtable is a leadership summit that focuses on conducting business with women entrepreneurs. Its participants include corporate leaders, public sector decision-makers, women business owners and advocates.
The Center’s first corporate partner, IBM began its association with the organization in 1989. The company’s support enabled the Center to publish its first study of women business owners as an economic force and, as a result, informed individual women entrepreneurs and public and private sector decision-makers about the impact, characteristics, and growth of women-owned businesses.
Over the years, IBM has invested in research that has yielded valuable information about the uses of technology among women business owners, including businesses owned by women of color, and women-owned businesses around the world. IBM recently commissioned the Center to prepare an executive briefing on women business owners and technology, which will be available in the fourth quarter of 2005.
“The long-standing relationship between the Center and the IBM Corporation has been a rich and rewarding partnership that supports the creation and dissemination of knowledge about women’s entrepreneurship,” said Marjorie Alfus, Chair, Center for Women’s Business Research. “Over the years, that knowledge has informed policy makers and corporations alike. IBM’s dedication to women business owners has given these women visibility and clout within the business community. As one of the first corporations to recognize the potential of women business owners, IBM has led Corporate America in its support of women’s entrepreneurship.”
“The IBM Corporation is committed to helping women business owners continue to grow their businesses and fulfill their potential in the business community,” said Marilyn Johnson. “By partnering with the Center for Women’s Business Research, we’ve not only highlighted the wealth of economic opportunities open to women business owners, but also the opportunity of doing business with them. Our relationship with the Center has helped both IBM and women business owners make strategic decisions for generating greater business opportunities. We consider it to be a very valuable partnership, one that will continue to open doors for women business owners and those doing business with them.“
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Center for Women’s Business Research Center for Women’s Business Research is the premier source of knowledge about women business owners and their enterprises worldwide. The Center’s mission is to unleash the economic potential of women entrepreneurs by conducting research, sharing information and increasing knowledge about this fast-growing sector of the economy.
Since 1989, the Center has generated research-based intelligence that has helped public- and private-sector leaders, advocates, and individual women business owners make informed strategic decisions for generating greater business opportunities.
Citation
Center for Women’s Business Research. “Center for Women’s Business Research And IBM to Partner on Roundtable and Research.” Press Release. March 1, 2005. Washington, DC.