Travelers Institute and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Co-Host Forum with Kansas City’s Top Small Business Leaders
April 25 2012 - 2:30PM
Business Wire
The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The
Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), and the Ewing Marion
Kauffman Foundation today convened regional leaders from the
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Small Business
Administration, as well as local business owners, to discuss
economic opportunities for the state’s small businesses and
entrepreneurs. Small businesses account for a significant share of
the region’s economic production and hiring, representing nearly 98
percent of Missouri’s employers and nearly 97 percent of Kansas’
employers according to the SBA.
“As one of the nation’s largest insurers of small businesses, we
understand the fundamental role they play in the health of the
economy, and we are committed to helping identify solutions to the
daily challenges small businesses face,” said Joan Woodward,
Travelers Executive Vice President of Public Policy and President
of the Travelers Institute. “By working with state agencies and
entrepreneurial-focused organizations like the Kauffman Foundation,
we believe we can help create an environment where small businesses
can thrive.”
Bob Litan, Vice President of Research and Policy at the Kauffman
Foundation, said, “Our research continues to highlight the
importance of a healthy entrepreneurial climate. Small businesses,
new ones in particular, are the backbone of the economy and our
goal is to support these entrepreneurs by advocating for a vibrant
business environment across the country. We are thrilled to partner
with the Travelers Institute on its ‘Small Business – Big
Opportunity’ series, as it’s an excellent platform on which to
accomplish those goals.”
Woodward moderated the panel, which featured a Missouri-based
small business owner and economic leaders, including:
- Pat Brown-Dixon, Regional
Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
- Jim Heeter, President, Greater Kansas
City Chamber of Commerce
- Bob Litan, Vice President of Research
and Policy, Kauffman Foundation
- Danny O’Neill, Owner, The Roasterie,
Inc.
At the event, panelists discussed barriers to accessing
necessary financing, while offering tips for obtaining small
business loans. In addition, panelists touched on other business
challenges impacting small business growth and job creation,
including risk management, business continuity planning and
regulatory burdens. Specifically, they discussed challenges in
getting permits and licenses, as well as meeting requirements at
the local level.
The Kansas City symposium is the seventh small business forum
the Travelers Institute has held since 2011, following events in
Morristown, N.J., Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and
Saint Paul. In addition, the Travelers Institute has hosted events
in conjunction with the Latino Coalition, Small Business
California, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and other business
advocacy groups and released a white paper, “Small Business – Big
Opportunity,” outlining its principles for advocacy.
About the Travelers InstituteThe Travelers Institute, the
public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., engages in
discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to
the insurance marketplace and the financial services industry. The
Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers'
senior management and the technical expertise of many of Travelers'
underwriters, risk managers and other experts to provide
information and analysis to public policy makers and regulators.
Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for
auto, home and business. For more information, visit
www.travelers.com.
About the Kauffman FoundationThe Ewing Marion Kauffman
Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to
harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow
economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other
initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's
eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote
entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of
entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways
for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. In
addition, the Foundation focuses on initiatives in the Kansas City
region to advance students’ math and science skills, and improve
the educational achievement of urban students, including the Ewing
Marion Kauffman School, a college preparatory charter school for
middle and high school students. Founded by late entrepreneur and
philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in
Kansas City, Mo., and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For
more information, visit www.kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation
on www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and
www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.
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