The Women’s Foodservice Forum, a premiere leadership development organization, announced that it is partnering with The Coca-Cola Company, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, and Amegy Bank of Texas to present the Entrepreneur Boot Camp (“Boot Camp”) in Dallas on March 13, at the Hilton Anatole. The half-day interactive session of inspiration and knowledge building is designed to empower attendees with the skills they need to grow their businesses. Headlining the event will be media entrepreneur and founder of The Adelante Movement, Nely Galán.
With women-owned businesses in the U.S. increasing 68 percent since 1997 and generating over $1.4 trillion in revenues as of 2014, the four organizations recognize the need to reach out and provide leadership and development training to the women who run these entrepreneurial organizations. The Entrepreneur Boot Camp is targeted to small business owners looking to grow their companies and/or entrepreneurs thinking of starting a business.
WFF and The Coca-Cola Company first partnered in October 2015 to present the highly anticipated inaugural Entrepreneur Boot Camp in Atlanta. The session received high-ratings from participants and the response reinforced the need for this knowledge and inspiration to be shared with women in major cities around the U.S. and Canada, starting with the Dallas/Fort-Worth market in 2016.
“Our partnership with The Coca-Cola Company on this project garnered a tremendous amount of interest from women in Atlanta last fall,” says Hattie Hill, president and chief executive officer, Women’s Foodservice Forum. “With the newest session, we aim to further support and educate women across a variety of industries this year and broaden our audience, kicking off this Boot Camp as a bonus session open to local DFW entrepreneurs, small businesses and attendees of our Annual Leadership Development Conference.”
The Annual Leadership Development Conference is WFF’s premier event that attracts approximately 3,000 people a year from across the U.S. The Boot Camp will feature educational workshops on topics such as building and sustaining a business, marketing a business with authenticity, business certification, Millennials and Generation Z. An Entrepreneur Expert Panel will also provide key insights on overcoming business challenges, which are some of the reasons women looking to grow or start their own businesses are highly encouraged to attend.
“Coca-Cola is committed to empowering women entrepreneurs across the globe as part of our 5by20 initiative, and we know our partners share the same aspirations for our community as we do,” says Kathleen Ciaramello, president of national foodservice and on-premise for Coca-Cola North America. “Teaming up with the Women’s Foodservice Forum and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has granted us the opportunity to invest in women from across the U.S. and help them achieve their entrepreneurial goals.”
Through 5by20, The Coca-Cola Company addresses the most common barriers women face when trying to succeed in the marketplace. This initiative offers women across the globe access to business skills training courses, financial services and connections with peers or mentors, along with the confidence that comes with building a successful business.
“DFW Airport is committed to creating and promoting economic opportunities which support women, and minority-owned businesses in our community and in our industry,” adds Sean Donohue, CEO for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. “We are very excited to support the Women’s Foodservice Forum to help increase awareness of opportunities for women-owned businesses to achieve financial success and sustainability.”
