Exhibit Edge was privileged last Wednesday with hosting presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, for an event honoring women entrepreneurs and small business owners. Exhibit Edge is committed to helping other businesses prosper through Intelligent Exhibiting®, while having a special passion for the success and advancement of women business owners.
Owner Bev Gray devotes countless volunteer hours helping women business owners obtain certification, training, and opportunities to help launch their businesses and pursue their personal goals. When approached with the prospect of hosting a speaking engagement for candidate Mitt Romney, the timing could not have been any better.
We, at Exhibit Edge, have been working on creating a documented set of values to provide clear direction and definition for our company. Knowing the current administration would only continue to hurt small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit, the chance to have the candidate whose policies and ideals fall right in line with ours was just too good to pass up!
There was a fury of activity in preparation for this event in the few days prior, and it certainly didn’t end once the day finally came. From Secret Service screenings to strategic positioning of key attendees, it seemed almost surreal that this was happening in the venue where we work on a daily basis. In the midst of all this, though, Mitt and Ann Romney took the time to have a prayer with Bev and Mike Gray prior to starting the events. What a great way to focus the events of that day and to reinforce the reason Exhibit Edge does what we do!
Looking out on the audience, it was composed of a wide variety of women business owners, congressmen, delegates, private small business owners, the general public, and even a few kids! Within just a couple minutes of Ann Romney addressing the crowd, she hit the metaphorically nail on the head. “We know what women can do – how women actually do make the world go ‘round.” How encouraging to hear these words of inspiration from such an influential woman herself! Bev and Mike Gray can give personal testimony to how empowered women and respected men can accomplish the seemingly impossible through focus, determination, sacrifice, and pure faith.
The hope continued to rise as Mitt Romney spoke. It was both comforting and uplifting to hear from a candidate who actually knows business. He explained how he understands just how detrimental current business policies, regulations, and taxes are and how the current administration has been attacking small businesses. All the extra taxes these entrepreneurs and small business owners are getting hit with would be much more wisely spent invested back into the company (such as hiring new employees) – subsequently causing a drastic improvement to the nation’s economy. Mitt Romney obviously “gets it” from a business owner’s perspective and is not about the politics of it all. In referencing how he plans to turn things around, he stated he would look at what President Obama has done and “do the opposite.”
One of the core values Exhibit Edge has recently set forth is to “face challenges with optimism and solutions.” That is exactly the feeling received from the Romneys’ visit last week. Our economy is without question in trouble, and small businesses are struggling – but there is a way out! Through investing back into the citizens of this great country and believing in the difference one man or woman can make, we can all work together to keep this beautiful world “going ‘round” one spin at a time!