March 20, 2006

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact: Kimberly Kreider (901) 333-4023

Southwest and TSBDC Host International Visitors

Southwest’s Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) hosted the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program recently at the Renaissance Business Center, 555 Beale. “This group includes potential top leaders in world affairs,” said David Doyle, executive director of the center. He cited some who “graduated” from the leadership program, among them Margaret Thatcher, Anwar Sadat, Tony Blair and Dr. Condoleeza Rice. He said the current 16 participants were people already in significant leadership positions in their countries.

Doyle welcomed the group to Memphis and offered them a short overview of the city and the region. Other business development leaders headquartered at Renaissance outlined their programs briefly, including Lee Ann Gill, director of the Memphis Minority Contractors Association; Ruby Williams, president of the Black Business Association; and Beverly Goines, assistant director of Memphis Housing and Community Development. “All of these aspects of our own business development process are useful in giving these prospective leaders insights into development issues and possibilities in their own countries,” said Doyle.

Saundra A. Jackson, senior area manager of the U.S. Small Business Administration, outlined the purposes, workings and methods of the SBA and answered questions from participants to help them see how different programs might be adapted to be used in the different economic, cultural and political settings of their own countries.

Among countries represented were Italy, Latvia, Turkey, Estonia, Spain, Germany, Macedonia and the United Kingdom.