[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15653-15654]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTER AT 
                            CANISIUS COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 10, 2013

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Women's Business Center 
at Canisius College on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.
  The Women's Business Center at Canisius College is a comprehensive 
resource for small

[[Page 15654]]

business owners and professional women providing training and 
networking opportunities to empower women with the critical skills 
necessary to develop their business.
  The Center gives participants access to the college's business 
courses, counseling, advice from business coaches, forums and an annual 
Women's Leadership Conference that featured ``Creativity and 
Innovation'' as one of its themes.
  The Center not only benefits women in business but also benefits the 
Western New York economy. Bolstered by an initial federal grant from 
the Small Business Administration, the Center has served over 21,000 
participants, helped start over 200 businesses, and created 290 jobs 
since opening in September of 2003.
  The Women's Business Center at Canisius College, one of 28 Jesuit 
universities in the nation, also deserves recognition for the link it 
continues to provide between the local educational institutions and the 
economic centers of our community. The success of small businesses is 
crucial to the prosperity of our region and nation and we are fortunate 
that for the past decade this group has worked to leverage funds and 
build new private-public partnership and establish unique and nurturing 
mentoring relationships that have ensured women have equal opportunity 
to start their own business.
  The success of the Center is realized in the economic gains and 
confidence generated by its many participants and program graduates. 
Yet, for every success, there is a daily reminder that the Center's 
work is not complete as our region's entrepreneurs and small business 
owners remain in need of the valuable resources, experience and support 
needed to strengthen our economy and to create equal opportunities for 
all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with appreciation and acknowledgement of their 
important contributions, that I rise to congratulate all those 
responsible for achieving this milestone as the Women's Business Center 
celebrates its 10th anniversary in the Montante Cultural Center on the 
campus of Canisius College.

                          ____________________