The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, in conjunction with the Urban League Young Professionals, will host an inaugural Entrepreneur Power Luncheon on Tuesday, March 26, at the Chattanoogan Hotel. At the event, Daymond John, TV personality and star of ABC’s Shark Tank, will deliver the keynote speech, and a minority-owned and woman-owned business person of the year will be recognized.

During his keynote, Mr. John will provide business tips and strategies for financial success. Mr. John is CEO and founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry, with over $6 billion in product sales. An acclaimed entrepreneur, he has received more than 35 awards, including the Brandweek Marketer of the Year, Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign and Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He is also the author of two best-selling books, Display of Power and The Brand Within, and the star of ABC’s entrepreneurial business show, Shark Tank.

"According to various studies, the overwhelming majority of jobs in America are created by companies that have been existence for five years or less,” said Mr. John. “Entrepreneurs, small business owners, the people who made the decision to build their own ladders instead of climbing someone else's, are and always have been the backbone of this country. I applaud organizations like the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga that work to support entrepreneurs, and I look forward to speaking at their inaugural event."

The purpose of the Urban League’s Entrepreneur Center is to provide management and technical assistance to minority and women-owned businesses that desire to build a more solid foundation or expand. The center also provides an eight-week course for persons who are interested in starting a business but need additional information on the essentials of both ownership and operations. Launched last year, the Entrepreneur Center has already assisted more than 90 businesses through a combination of services including, but not limited to, start-up business training classes, business plan development and identification of financing and procurement opportunities.

“The Entrepreneur Center is about creating and leveraging scalable minority and women-owned businesses that can sustain and add to the community's inventory of livable wage jobs,” said Warren E. Logan, Jr., president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. “Our services focus on this end result. As well, we concentrate on enhancing the bottom line and being a part of a new and vibrant culture of celebrating business ownership, innovation and the free enterprise system.  Our goal is to elevate the vision, recognizing that the risks are high and the landscape is turbulent, but opportunity is still the grandest playing field.”

To be a sponsor or purchase a table at the Entrepreneur Power Luncheon, visit www.ulchatt.net or call 423 756-1762.