Nashville NAWBO – Women Business Owners

A big Thank you to Autumn Gentry & Julie Hamner Johnston with Dickinson Wright, PLLC for a great presentation at our June Luncheon! Also want to say a Big Thank You to our outgoing board members for all of your hard work and dedication over the past year, as well as a warm welcome to our new Board! Please make plans to join us on Thursday, July 28th 2011 for our next luncheon. This will be a great Networking Event, so have your “Elevator Speech” prepared!

Our June Key note speakers are Autumn L Gentry and Julie Hamner Johnston. They are attornerys with extensive knowledge of legal matters affecting the small business owner. The speakers have a combined total of 25 years experience to discuss the legal concerns of the small business owner.

Here are some of the topics that will be discussed in the presentation: 

• Workers’ Compensation
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Tennessee Corporations Business Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Family Medical Leave Act
• as well as … employment discrimination; trademark, copyright and intellectual property issues.

Autumn L Gentry has been practicing business law for 11 years.  She has extensive knowledge in the areas of Business Torts; Consumer Protection; Insurance; Labor & Employment; Product Liability & Personal Injury; Workers Compensation.

Julie Hamner Johnston has been practicing business law for 14 years.  She has extensive knowledge in the areas of Commercial & Business Litigation; Estate, Trust & Probate; Intellectual Property & Trade Secrets Litigation; Libel & Slander; Music, Sports & Entertainment Litigation; Non-Compete & Anti Solicitation Agreements; Product Liability & Personal Injury. 

Come at 11:00 AM and network with other business women owners and our speakers.

As always, Nashville NAWBO meets the last Thursday of each month.  This month our meeting will be on Thursday, June 30th from 11-1 at Maggiano’s Little Italy.  Bring plenty of business cards and get ready for some great networking, fun company, and terrific learning . . . not to mention the fabulous food! 

East Tennessee Business Matchmaking is coming to Knoxville on July 21^st, 2011 at the Rothchild Catering & Conference Center in West Knoxville from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Back by popular demand and building on the tremendous success of the event the past two years, business matchmaking matches small- to mid-sized businesses with government organizations and major corporations that have significant buying power and contract opportunities for a wide variety of products/services. Upon registering, businesses will be matched to organizations seeking similar products/services in 10-minute, individualized appointments.

This year’s event will focus on the Fundamentals for Successful Bidding. 

Registration begins May 26^th and closes on June 17^th.  Participants can register online at www.etpanews.org or by contacting Penny Owens at 865-215-2648, email address powens@cityofknoxville.org. Participants must register by June 17^th so ETPA can match their products and services to organizations with similar needs. 

Admission and parking are free of charge and light refreshments will be served. Some of the governmental entities and private corporations available for appointments are: 

Pilot Travel Centers; Knoxville/Knox County Community Action Committee; Tennessee Valley Authority; B&W Y-12; KUB-Knoxville Utilities Board; Vaughn & Melton Consulting Engineers; City of Johnson City; S & ME; City of Chattanooga; City of Knoxville; KCDC – Knoxville’s Community Development Corp.; The University of Tennessee; Knox County Government; COvenant Health; Public Building Authority; Knoxville News-Sentinel; SunTrust Bank; Trane; Pellissippi State Community College; Knox County School Nutrition; Ameresco 

Finally, new to this year’s event, ETPA will hold a VIP breakfast from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. where a limited number of businesses can meet with at 15 procurement directors from local governmental agencies. The cost to attend is $35 and registration for this event is also required, beginning May 26^th at www.etpanews.org. Registration will be first come first served basis and will close when the maximum number of vendors registers.