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Local Voices

Tickets Available for 2013 Business Women's Forum (BWF) Oct. 18

Robin Sills, RN, of Naugatuck Valley Radiology, chairwoman of the 2013 Business Women’s Forum (BWF®), announced that tickets are still available for the Friday, October 18 conference at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The BWF is Connecticut’s largest and longest-running full-day annual conference for women. The 31st annual BWF will welcome Kathy Ireland, CEO and chief designer of the design empire Kathy Ireland Worldwide, the 23rd most powerfully licensed brand in the world, as the event’s keynote luncheon speaker. Psychologist, author, consultant and motivator, Dr. Janet Lapp, with be the BWF’s morning motivational speaker. The Business Women’s Forum (www.2013bwf.com) is anticipated to attract over 600 business people from throughout New England, and will.

“Be The Change” is the inspiring theme of the 2013 Business Women’s Forum that is expected to welcome over 600 attendees. BWF Chairwoman Sills explained, “The BWF will feature the two keynote speakers plus six professional development workshops, all-day networking, breakfast, lunch, and a closing reception.” Sills will open the BWF at 8:00 a.m. followed by remarks by Commissioner Catherine Smith, Department of Economic and Community Development for the State of Connecticut. Celebrating 31 years of notable success, the BWF is a program of the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Waterbury, Connecticut. The thriving organization is led by female executives dedicated to the professional and personal growth of working women. In addition to being sponsored annually by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the BWF is also supported by numerous Connecticut-based companies.

“The board of the BWF is delighted to welcome Kathy Ireland and Dr. Janet Lapp as this year’s keynote speakers,” stated Sills. “Ms. Ireland has grown her design company into a multi-billion-dollar empire worldwide. We are all very confident she will provide our BWF attendees with tremendous insights, inspiration and encouragement for their businesses and careers. We are also very certain Dr. Janet Lapp will provide attendees with a lively, humorous and insightful exploration of individual business styles and ways our BWF attendees can assess their personal leadership skills and how they can acquire tools for improving and expanding their capabilities.”

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The mission of the non-profit Business Women’s Forum’s for the past 30 years has been to raise funds for a scholarship fund for female Post University students to pursue business educations. “The BWF’s continual commitment,” explained Sills “has been to the equality of opportunity and advancement for women in business. During the past 30 years, the BWF has generated in excess of $135,000 toward those scholarships.” Those scholarships will be presented to three Post University students during the morning opening remarks.

Throughout the day on October 18, the 2013 BWF will also provide six professional development workshops. The workshops include: “Power of Distinction: Master Strategies to Stand Out and Move Up”; “The Motivated Negotiator: From Peacemaker to Rainmaker-How to Unleash Your Inner Negotiator”; “Thriving in Chaos: Managing Stress at Work”; “Blind Spots for Women”; “Unleashing the Power to Change and Thrive” and “Find the Missing Link with LinkedIn: Drive Leads, Visibility & Sales with Low-Tech Tactics that Work”.

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Star Sponsors of the 2013 Business Women’s Forum are Post University and Star 99.9 “Connecticut’s Best Mix!”. Forum Partners are Barker Specialty Company, Corporate Display Specialties, Jaci Carroll Staffing, PowerStation Events, the “Republican American” newspaper, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Connecticut, Webster Bank, and Yale School of Management. 

Admission to the 2013 BWF is $175/person and includes breakfast, lunch, networking, workshops, and closing reception with buffet and raffle prizes. To register, visit www.2013BWF.com, or call the Waterbury Regional Chamber at 203-757-0701.                                     

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