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September 20, 2004
Women Business Owners and Executives Join Local Girls for Entrepreneurship Conference at Urbana University
Urbana, OH, September 20, 2004— Creative Financial Solutions, in partnership with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), is pleased to present the Girls Going Places— An Income of Her Own conference for girls, ages 12 to 18. The conference is designed to encourage girls to take control of their financial futures at an early age by broadening their understanding of the business world, creating an awareness of career options in non-traditional fields and highlighting the advantages of financial independence.
More than 100 girls from local middle and high schools in Urbana, Mechanicsburg, West Liberty, Bellefontaine and Springfield have registered for the conference, which will take place on Friday, October 22 at Urbana University from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
At the conference, the girls will meet with successful local women business owners and professionals to learn about entrepreneurship and financial independence. Attendees will play "Hot Company," a board game that introduces girls to the advantages and challenges of owning one's own business. They also will participate in a marketing exercise called "Product-in-a-Box,"in which they will design a product and present a marketing plan.
"We're excited to introduce young women to the opportunities of owning their own businesses and becoming professionals. By working with successful women, these girls will learn that they can become businesswomen and, most importantly, that they can achieve financial independence," says Leah Lattimer, Urbana GGP conference chair and a financial representative with Guardian. "We are honored to help them make their dreams come true and to give them the necessary tools to turn those dreams into a reality."
Lattimer is among the 20 businesswomen who will participate in the conference. Earlier this year, Lattimer established Creative Financial Solutions, a provider of financial advice that is affiliated with The Willms Financial Network, a Guardian agency in Dublin.
The teen entrepreneurship conference is a part of Guardian's Women's Initiative, which includes the national Girls Going Places Scholarship competition. This scholarship program honors girls, ages 12 to 18 who demonstrate budding entrepreneurship, are taking the first steps toward financial independence, and have made a difference in their school or community. Guardian received more than 2,000 applications during the 2004 competition.
The Willms Financial Network is sponsoring the lunch at the 2005 Urbana conference and is also facilitating its own local sponsorship totaling $1,000. Conference attendees who would like to be considered for this scholarship are asked to submit a 750-1,000-word essay on "The Importance of Women and Business." Six local business owners that serve on Creative Financial Solutions' advisory board will judge the essays. The $1,000 scholarship will be paid upon proof of college enrollment or higher education.
Brian Willms, owner, The Willms Financial Network, says, "We are extremely excited to participate in this great event that introduces girls to the concepts of achieving economic parity, financial independence, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Guardian is committed to seeing young women successfully achieve their personal and career goals."
About Guardian
Founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY (Guardian) is the fourth largest mutual life insurance company in the United States. As of December 31, 2003, Guardian and its subsidiaries had $37.2 billion in assets. With more than 5,000 employees, over 2,800 financial representatives and nearly 100 agencies nationwide, Guardian and its subsidiaries protect individuals, businesses and their employees with life, disability, health and dental insurance products, and offer 401(k), financial products and trust services. More information on Guardian can be obtained at: www.guardianlife.com.
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