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Secretary Burke Appoints Bill Bowers as Minority Business Development Director; Bowers to Attend Marketplace 2007
For Immediate Release: September 26, 2007 MADISON - Bill Bowers has been selected as director of the Bureau of Minority Business Development, Department of Commerce (Commerce) Secretary Mary P. Burke announced today. "Bill Bowers has extensive management experience in both the private and public sectors, as well as a strong working knowledge of manufacturing and construction," Secretary Burke said. "He will be an asset to my team as we work with minority-owned businesses on their growth and development." From 2004-present, Bowers was property assessment manager-manufacturing and then director of the Bureau of Assessment Practices, Department of Revenue. He was responsible for certifying all statutory assessors throughout Wisconsin, providing assessor training, testing and analysis of assessment practices statewide, and directing the annual assessment of all manufacturing and utility property in the lake Winnebago District (six county area). From 1997-2004, he served as a real estate appraiser for Chudnow-Druck-Lauenstein, Milwaukee. Prior to these positions, he was president of his own construction firm, B&F Contracting, Milwaukee, and also served as assistant plant superintendent at Johnson Controls IFM, Milwaukee. Bowers earned an MBA in management and BA in management and communication from Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, WI. Bowers will be on hand to meet with businesses and resource partners at Marketplace 2007, the 26th Annual Governor's Conference on Minority Business Development, which will be held on October 11, 2007 at the Ho-Chunk Casino Hotel & Convention Center in Baraboo. "Marketplace 2007 is a great opportunity for businesses to learn how to increase access to capital," said Commerce Secretary Mary P. Burke. "It's also a wonderful showcase for their unique products and services to government procurement officers and corporate buyers." This year's keynote speaker is Dave Anderson, founder of Famous Dave's of America, recognized as a hot restaurant concept by Nation's Restaurant News. Anderson is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Lake Superior Band of Ojibwa and Choctaw Nations. Participants at Marketplace 2007 will have the opportunity, among other things, to: learn of small business resource agencies and programs; weigh the benefits of local, state, and federal certification programs; meet one-on-one with buyers wishing to increase their minority spend; learn about selling products and services to the State, federal prime contractors, and international markets; talk with a number of non-traditional lenders; develop a business advisory panel and have great networking opportunities with other minority vendors, supplier diversity managers, and representatives from business and resource agencies. Registration is $45 for the entire conference, which includes the Governor's Awards Luncheon. To register, go to the Marketplace website - http://marketplace.wi.gov. -30- |
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