Travelers institute's small business - big opportunity tour visits
boston
Boston--(business wire)--travelers institute, the public policy division of the travelers companies, inc. (nyse: trv), the new england council, the nation’s oldest regional business organization, and nyse euronext, a leading global operator of financial markets and a provider of innovative trading technologies, today co-hosted small business – big opportunity in boston. this symposium is part of a multi-year project, small business – big opportunity, which has included events in major markets across the country, such as los angeles, dallas, atlanta and new york, all aimed at promoting the importance of small businesses to economic growth, job creation and the american opportunity. “as one of the nation’s largest insurers of small businesses, we are keenly aware of the challenges facing entrepreneurs, and we are committed to fostering productive discussion to help them identify solutions,” said joan woodward, president of travelers institute and executive vice president of public policy for travelers. “from access to capital to complex regulations, travelers is convening thought leaders to help small business owners navigate challenges they face.” jim brett, president of the new england council, delivered opening remarks, and dr. mary burke, a senior economist at the federal reserve bank of boston, gave the keynote address discussing the regional economic outlook for small businesses. “the goal of the new england council is to promote economic growth and a high quality of life throughout our region,” said brett. “travelers institute’s small business – big opportunity series aligns well with that objective and we are pleased to join them in reinforcing the importance of small business to not only massachusetts, but also our region and country.” woodward moderated the discussion and the full panel consisted of prominent economic and small business innovators and leaders, including: april anderson lamoureux, president, anderson strategic advisors, llc and former assistant secretary for economic development, state of massachusetts joseph bator, senior vice president, business banking, eastern bank lynn bromley, regional advocate, office of advocacy, u.s. small business administration mike chapman, chief sales officer, hub international “massachusetts has worked hard to become an increasingly attractive state for small business establishment and growth,” said lamoureux. “travelers’ encouragement of small businesses in massachusetts and across the country is vital to improving the business environment.” “small business – big opportunity events provide an excellent forum for small business owners and advocates to exchanges ideas and practices. to meet the challenges and opportunities of today’s economy, it is critical that the voice of small business is part of every policy discussion and decision,” said lynn bromley, a regional advocate for the u.s. small business administration’s office of advocacy. mike chapman, chief sales officer of hub international remarked, “our experience with small businesses demonstrates the importance of owners maintaining and regularly reevaluating business continuity and risk management. we would like to thank travelers and the event co-hosts for providing a forum to share these observations broadly.” “at eastern bank, we recognize that small businesses are underserved by the banking community and we work hard to meet the needs of this vital economic job creator, recently being recognized by the sba as their national lender of the year,” said joe bator. “the small business -- big opportunity events perfectly align with that mission and we were thrilled to participate.” to learn more about the series and travelers’ commitment to small business advocacy, please visit the travelers institute’s website. about the travelers institutethe travelers institute, the public policy division of the travelers companies, inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and the financial services industry more broadly. the travelers institute draws upon the industry expertise of travelers' senior management and the technical expertise of many of travelers' underwriters, risk managers and other experts to provide information, analysis, and solutions to public policy makers and regulators. travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. for more information, visit www.travelers.com.
