This month we had the pleasure of receiving five guests from Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Sudan, and Swaziland for a project focusing on Women in Entrepreneurship.
The group was welcomed to Pensacola by President of the City Council Maren DeWeese. After giving our guests an overview of the economic makeup of our city, her husband Jeff DeWeese was kind enough to give them a rousing historical overview of Pensacola. At the end of the meeting, our guests were thrilled to receive a Certificate of Honorary Citizenship to the City of Pensacola.
From there the guests met up with Barbara Vititow at First United Methodist’s Feeding the Hungry Plus. There, the visitors volunteered side-by-side with locals to see how volunteerism plays a fundamental role in many Americans’ lives. Seen by many local-entrepreneurs as a networking opportunity as well as an important component of a good society, the visitors were thrilled to experience the benefits of volunteerism: a concept that is new to many of them.
Their next stop was at the Business Incubator at the Gulf Coast Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) where Bonita Player and Bridgette Price walked the group through how the CIE targets early stage high growth companies to increase their chances of success by providing shared office space, services, and consulting as a business incubator. The organization acts as a catalyst to support innovative entrepreneurs who create jobs and can sustain long-term economic growth for the area.
The following day, the women met with other local, female entrepreneurs in a round table discussion. Robin Reshard of Robert Robino Productions, Cynthia Herman of Pensacola Business Women in Action, Rika Edge of Physicians Weight Loss, Bonnielee Cuevas of Pink Couture Life, and Grace McCaffery of La Costa Latina were kind enough to take the time to meet with our guests out of their offices. In an enthusiastic discussion, the group exchanged ideas on new marketing strategies, the difficulties of being a woman entrepreneur, and support systems and established programs that can be used as successful business models.
From there the group went on to meet with Jancita Straus at Workforce Escarosa where they learned about the center’s youth program that promotes leadership, mentoring, and “targeted opportunities for youth in high poverty areas.” They also learned about their Displaced Homemakers Program that strives to meet the employment needs of local families.
Next, they met with Rick Harper at the Hass Center for Business Research and Development at the University of West Florida where they explored support mechanisms for small business development and strategic business planning. Mr. Harper also gave an overview of the services provided by the Florida Small Business Development Center, another University of West Florida Center devoted to assisting small business.
During their stay in Pensacola, the guests were also treated to home cooked meals by a few kind-hearted citizens. Patricia and Gary McGraw, Susan Senkarik, and Linda Wade welcomed the guests with open-hearts and full tables into their homes. Visitors remarked that this was one of their favorite moments of their entire trip as it showcased true “southern” hospitality about which they had often heard. Moments like these are seldom forgotten and we thank them immensely for participating in such moments.
The group ended their busy stay in Pensacola with a well-deserved leisurely day on the beach.
