Nation’s Leading African American Entrepreneurs And Corporate Executives Gather In Atlanta May 13-16
NEW YORK, May 11, 2015 — BLACK ENTERPRISE will kick off the 20th annual Entrepreneurs Summit hosted by Nationwide on Wednesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 16, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia.
The three-day power conference, which brings together more than 1,000 of the country’s leading entrepreneurs and corporate executives, is designed to provide attendees with the innovative strategies and networking opportunities critical for their businesses to reach the next level of profitability.
Confirmed speakers include:
• Steve Harvey, Entrepreneur, Media Personality, Comedian and Author
• Lisa Nichols, CEO, Motivating the Masses
• Roland Martin, Journalist, Host, News One Now
• Paul Judge, Managing Partner, Judge Ventures; Adviser, Opportunity Hub
• Michael Lee-Chin, Chairman and President, Portland Holdings Inc.
• Cris Carter, NFL Hall of Fame Inductee; ESPN Anchor; and Chairman; Carter Brothers Security Services
• Ken Coleman, Chairman, Saama Technologies; Special Adviser, Andreessen Horowitz
• Wes Moore, Author, Founder and CEO, BridgeEdU
• Don Peebles, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Peebles Corp.
• Reginald Hudlin, Writer, Film Director, and Producer
• Necole Parker, Founder and CEO, The ELOCEN Group
• Jermaine Dupri, CEO, So So Def Recordings
• Samuel Gilmore, Founder and President, Overnight Success Inc.
• Tom Chikoore, Founder, Techstars Risingstars Program; Founder, Startups Illustrated
• Kim Kimble, Celebrity Hairstylist, Owner, Kim Hair Studio and Kimble Haircare System
• Chris Bennett, Co-Founder and CEO, Soldsie; Founder, Black Founders (NewME)
• Lamman Rucker, Actor, Educator, and Activist
• Egypt Sherrod, HGTV Host; CEO, The Egypt Sherrod Real Estate Group and Author
“As the U.S. economy is recovering, African American businesses must restore their momentum by aggressively positioning themselves to exploit new opportunities, seize emerging markets, and gain new access to capital,” says BLACK ENTERPRISE President & CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. “With this goal in mind, our Entrepreneurs Summit is designed to provide business owners with the tactical thinking, innovative strategies, and networking opportunities they need to reach that next level of profitability.”
The 2015 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit boasts high-powered sessions on critical business topics such as How to Secure Millions for Your Business, Need for Speed: Accelerating Your Tech Startup, The Art of Raising Money, and It’s Called Show BUSINESS, and. We will also host a special solution-focused Town Hall, Black Males Matter.
For the aspiring entrepreneur, The Small Business Success™ Boot Camp offers practical advice on how to take your business to the next level. Plus, the Black Enterprise Elevator Pitch Competition will award $10,000 for the best new business idea.
“Nationwide is proud of our relationship with Black Enterprise and excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this outstanding event,” said Terrance Williams, executive vice president—chief marketing officer, Nationwide. “This is a great opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to minority businesses and to multicultural communities. Connecting with the attendees at this conference is important to us – it’s part of what Nationwide’s promise to be On Your Side® is all about.”
For the first time, attendees of the 2015 Entrepreneurs Summit will also have the opportunity to tap into all the latest BLACK ENTERPRISE developments taking place in and around the Summit courtesy of the new dedicated BE Events app. Available for free on Android, iOS and other smartphones (attendees with Windows and BlackBerry devices can go here), the app allows visitors to access the full event schedule, browse the event social media updates, receive information on the speakers taking part in the Summit, as well as develop a personal event planner to remind them of their must-attend sessions. It also features a detailed interactive floor plan to help attendees navigate the session rooms as well as keep attendees fully up-to-date with the latest developments through a link to the #BESummit social media tag. Attendees will also receive push notifications in the event of room changes and BLACK ENTERPRISE giveaways.
To download the app for free, visit the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
The 2015 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit hosted by Nationwide is presented by American Express OPEN, AT&T, Georgia Pacific, KOCH Industries and Walmart. Platinum sponsors include Chevrolet, Cigna, FedEx and Southern Co. Corporate sponsors include The Coca Cola Co., and Delta.
For updates, follow Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit page on Facebook and search the #BESummit hashtag on Twitter.
BLACK ENTERPRISE, your ultimate source to build Wealth for Life, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Visit www.blackenterprise.com for more information.
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S.
