[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12592-S12593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE WOMEN'S BUSINESS NETWORK

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President. I take this opportunity to call my 
colleagues' attention to the role of women owned businesses in our 
economy, and

[[Page S12593]]

particularly in Colorado. The Business Women's Network (BWN), which is 
a network of 1200 women's associations working in concert to expand all 
women's inclusion in business development, is helping towards that end. 
Tonight, the BWN will be hosting an event to honor its members and the 
many structures which serve the development of women's business.
  Colorado enterprises which embody well-developed and successful 
business ventures include: the Colorado Women's Business Office, which 
represents more than 75,000 women and 50,000 girls; the Denver Women's 
Business Network; the Casa Career Development and Business Center for 
Women; the Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce; the 
University of Colorado Women's Resource Center; the Women Owner, 
Managers and Executive Network of Colorado Springs; the Women's 
Foundation of Colorado; the Women's Library Association in Denver, and 
many others. Colorado's success in identifying and nurturing a strong 
base of women owned businesses provides a model for other states 
seeking to conquer the spectrum of needs and obstacles that confront 
women entrepreneurs.
  National recognition is in order. Last year, the women-owned 
businesses in the Denver metro area had the highest regional growth 
rate in the country, at 57%. Both employment and sales increased four-
fold. The translation for Coloradans is easy. As a state, we enjoy more 
than 77,600 women-owned businesses that provide jobs for almost 208,000 
people, to the tune of $23 billion in annual sales.
  The Business Women's Network is important because it profiles all 
women's groups, both nationally and globally, in salute of their 
achievements. Today, I wish to single out for special honor the solid 
foothold women's business has in Colorado's unparalleled economy. I 
also want to encourage the continued efforts of BWN--the strong 
presence of women in our world economy cannot be emphasized enough.

                          ____________________