Gov. Schwarzenegger Addresses First-Ever Conference on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Launches Global Entrepreneurship Week

Furthering his commitment to support California's small businesses in their contribution to the health and power of the state's economy, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today launched Global Entrepreneurship Week at the first-ever Governor's Conference on Small Business & Entrepreneurship. The conference is being held at the Renaissance Montura Hotel in Los Angeles on November 18 and 19.

"The California economy is led by the creativity and vision of our entrepreneurs and small business leaders," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "As we deal with the current economic climate, my administration is committed to working with our small business entrepreneurs on how we can unleash the power of their ingenuity to maintain our state's leadership in the global economy - because small business drives California's diverse economy, and small business will drive our economic recovery."

The Governor invited leaders of small business organizations and entrepreneurs representing the spectrum of the state's economy to the Conference to discuss ideas on improving the partnership between the private sector and state government to stimulate the economy. Since May, individuals from these groups have been preparing over 100 draft proposals for discussion by conference participants on topics ranging from access to capital to regulatory reform.

The Governor's Conference on Small Business & Entrepreneurship coincides with Global Entrepreneurship Week, which was created to engage young people across national boundaries and inspire the entrepreneurial urge of the next generation. Global Entrepreneurship Week takes place November 17 - 23 and features hundreds of youth-oriented activities in more than 75 participating countries.

Other speakers at the Governor's Conference on Small Business & Entrepreneurship include: Tom Hayes, author of the Jump Point and Silicon Valley columnist Mike Malone, who will lead an exciting discussion on the future of business; Louis Rossetto, co-founder of Wired magazine and Dan Rose, vice president of Facebook, who will explore the network of entrepreneurs and the digital explosion; David Fischer, vice president of global online sales and operations at Google and Janine Popick, founder and chief executive officer of Vertical Response, who will provide insights into how small businesses can establish themselves in the global market. Additional speakers include Phil Romero, dean of the California State University Los Angeles School of Business; Elizabeth O'Connor, economist and vice president of Capital Strategy Research, Inc.; and Arel Moodie, founder and chief executive officer of Placefinder.com, among others. Notable attendees include the leadership team for the California Community Colleges and representatives from California's most influential small business groups.

Small businesses comprise 98 percent of all enterprises in California. With more than 3.6 million small businesses in the state, they employ more than 52 percent of the state's workforce. Since assuming office, the Governor has been committed to supporting and growing California small businesses. To date, he has:

Appointed Marty Keller as the Small Business Advocate in the Office of the Governor to advise on issues affecting California's small business community and promote policies to encourage the growth of more small businesses in the state.
Achieved over 25 percent in small business participation in state contracts procurement since 2007, exceeding the goal required by his executive order.
Worked on behalf of minority-owned and small businesses to improve the state's business climate and create jobs to promote economic growth.
Fixed California's broken workers' compensation system which has saved California $24.7 billion in premiums to insured and self-insured plans.
Issued an executive order encouraging small, disadvantaged businesses to participate in California's infrastructure growth and play a key role in rebuilding the state's transportation infrastructure.
Announced a joint effort to provide more than $100 million in venture capital to expanding small businesses in the Los Angeles area.