When billionaire
investor Warren Buffett speaks to business owners in Washington D.C. at the
first-ever National Alumni Summit for graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000Small Businesses program, a certain alumna of the program offered through Salt
Lake Community College will be hanging on every word.
“Hearing Warren
Buffet speak live will definitely be a huge highlight in my life,” said
Jennifer Johnson, owner of pro Do, a blow dry bar with locations in Draper and
South Jordan. “I can’t wait to come back with more tools in my bag to become
the entrepreneur that I was always meant to be.”
Buffett will be
joined by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd
Blankfein and many “experts and thought leaders” in business, entertainment and
government for the two-day The Big Power of Small Business summit Feb. 13-14.
Owners of more than 100 Utah small businesses who graduated from the Goldman
Sachs program at SLCC are expected to attend, including Johnson and the owners
of Kostopulos Dream Foundation, Sugarhouse Coffee, ISSIMO Productions, A Plus
Garage Doors and KAL Medical Supplies.
Johnson said going
through the program at SLCC helped her conquer fears associated with owning a
small business and to face “scary challenges” that previously might have held
her back. Utah-based International Aid Serving Kids founder Illens Dort hopes
to expand his contacts among the thousands of 10,000 Small Businesses alumni expected
to attend the summit. “The 10,000 Small Businesses program has helped me in
every aspect of my company, and I look forward to this tremendous opportunity
to advance my network and education,” Illens said.