Range of Bay area firms take note of Entrepreneurship Week
Tampa Bay Business Journal - by Margaret Cashill Staff writer
Rebuilding the economy with innovation and education was the theme of an open house hosted by IBM, Ernst & Young LLP, Evolution Advisors LLC and Elevation Brand Monday afternoon at the Tampa IBM office.
The companies scheduled speakers and networking as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week taking place Nov. 17-23, which is an initiative of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, Mo., and United Kingdom-based Make Your Mark campaign.
Entrepreneurialism, invention and innovation are important to advancing living standards, said Ken Evans, regional director for Entrepreneur Week in his introduction. Evans raised the issue of the challenging economic climate and cited the examples of FedEx, Apple and Microsoft as now prosperous companies founded in down economies.
Mike Brennan, a partner with Ernst & Young, discussed the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The judges, he said, look for candidates who have taken risks and who display resilience.
“A true entrepreneur is someone who [has] the bug, they don’t want to stop,” Brennan said.
Commissioner Mark Sharpe discussed how Hillsborough County has encouraged economic development through housing, transportation and education.
Sharpe stressed the importance of infrastructure in supporting business. “We should be partnering with you to create that strong, positive business climate,” he said.
Laura Ellis, central Florida executive for IBM, presented the keynote speech of the afternoon, an overview of Entrepreneurship Week with a focus on how technology has changed the way we interact. Its goals, Ellis said, are to inspire, connect, inform, mentor and engage entrepreneurs.
Global Entrepreneurship Week was founded to encourage entrepreneurial ideas and opportunities among young people and involves activities in more than 75 countries, a release said.
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