T.D. Jakes Joins Black Enterprise as Entrepreneurs Conference Returns to Columbus, Ohio

BLACK ENTERPRISE will hold its 2014 Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide Insurance on Wednesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 17, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus in Columbus, Ohio, with a powerhouse line-up of some of the nation’s most accomplished and celebrated entrepreneurs.

Driving the excitement and anticipation of this year’s conference is news that TDJ Enterprises’ CEO T.D. Jakes will serve as the featured headliner at the Black Enterprise Small Business Awards Luncheon. Bishop Jakes will also hold a major book signing event for his highly anticipated book Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Unborn Drive, in the Deal Makers Expo. T.D. Jakes is world-renown as a spiritual leader, as Founder and Senior Pastor of The Potter’s House, and is also an accomplished entrepreneur of  TDJ Enterprises – which has successfully engaged in businesses ranging from branded products and services, including publishing to media and entertainment, with a range of offerings from live events to film and television production. He is the first of several internationally recognized business leaders announced as headliners for this year’s conference.

This marks the second year that the three-day power conference, which annually brings together more than 1,200 of the country’s leading entrepreneurs and corporate executives, will be held in Columbus. The Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo (BEEC) is designed to provide attendees with the latest and most innovative strategies from today’s top business minds. The conference will also provide high-powered networking opportunities that are critical to attendees’ efforts to take their businesses from successful launch to growth and profitability. Business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs will gain insight about business plan development and start-up planning as well as tactical growth and investment strategies.

“Nationwide is proud to sponsor this year’s conference because we share Black Enterprise’s commitment for empowering minority businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the country,” said Matt Jauchius, Nationwide Chief Marketing Officer. “We are pleased to work with Black Enterprise and the City of Columbus to bring this exciting event to our hometown for the second consecutive year. I am confident that participants will have a great experience, and will walk away with valuable resources and networks to support their continued business endeavors.”

“It is with great enthusiasm that we bring the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference back to Columbus, Ohio, for the second consecutive year,” says Black Enterprise CEO Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr. “Working in partnership with host sponsor Nationwide, Mayor Michael Coleman and the business communities of Columbus and the state of Ohio, the Entrepreneurs Conference enjoyed significant success last year. We look forward to working with Nationwide and our other event sponsors and partners to deliver an even more impactful conference for entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners from across the nation and around the world in 2014.”

The conference will take place in the heart of downtown Columbus located in close proximity to a wide variety of locally owned eateries, theaters, and retail shops. The Columbus Convention Center, which will host the Deal Makers Expo, is situated in the center of the city’s Discovery District, Short North Arts District, Arena District and the historic African-American neighborhood, the King-Lincoln district.

“Columbus is proud to welcome the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference to our thriving city for the second consecutive year,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “Once again we’re looking forward to sharing our community’s greatest assets including restaurants, shops, and nightlife throughout the city with conference attendees and visitors.”

For updates, follow BLACK ENTERPRISE Entrepreneurs Conference page on Facebook and search the #BEEC2014 hash tag on Twitter.