GGCC Holds Its First Entrepreneur Breakfast

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce held its first program in their new Entrepreneur Breakfast Series on Thursday, October 8 at the Montgomery College, BioScience Education Center in Germantown. The first series was entitled “Are Entrepreneur’s Born or Made”.

“Every successful business started with one or two people have the courage to start. So we wanted to focus in on what makes entrepreneurs tick. It was an excellent presentation and really got a lot of people thinking. I also loved that we had so many students involved and engaged. It was a great partnership with Montgomery College“, said Marilyn Balcombe, GGCC Executive Director.

The morning began with our Keynote Speaker Oliver Schlake, Ph. D., a Clinical Professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business who spoke on “Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made”.

He was followed by a panel discussion of “home- grown” entrepreneurs that included: John Compton, GeneDx; Angela Graham, Quality Biological, Inc.; and Ellen Bogage, Chesapeake Public Strategies. Each panelist shared their “entrepreneur” story, what motivated them to take the entrepreneurial leap, and answered the question—“are entrepreneurs born or made?”

(back row; l:r) Oliver Schlake, Ph. D., Clinical Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business; Margaret Latimer, Vice President and Provost, Montgomery College Germantown Campus; Martha Schoonmaker, Executive Director, Hercules Pinkney Life Sciences Park – Montgomery College; Eileen Cahill, Vice President Government & Community Affairs, Holy Cross Health; and Marilyn Balcombe, GGCC President.
(front row; l:r) Ellen Bogage, President & CEO, Chesapeake Public Strategies; Angela Graham, President & CEO, Quality Biological, Inc.; and John Compton, Co-Founder, GeneDx at the GGCC Entrepreneur Breakfast Series on Thursday, October 9, 2015.
(photo credit: Laura Rowles, GGCC Director of Events & Marketing)

Over 70 entrepreneurs, business owners and students came together to discover their inner entrepreneur. There is power in working with committed individuals who are on a similar path. The program is for those who want to be, who aspire to be, who are, who dream to be, and who are accomplished entrepreneurs.

After the program, attendees took surveys and posted to twitter to answer the question, are entrepreneurs born, made or both. The consensus was entrepreneurs are made.

The event was sponsored by Holy Cross Germantown Hospital & Montgomery College.

The GGCC is active in providing business-to-business networking opportunities throughout the year: a collective voice in local, regional, and state legislative affairs, professional development opportunities and other services that enhance the business environment.

The GGCC is located at 910 Clopper Road, Suite 205N, Gaithersburg, MD. To learn more about the GGCC visit us at www.ggchamber.org. Find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaithersburg-Germantown-Chamber-of-Commerce/64339954570.

About Laura Rowles

Laura authors the blog Your Success is Our Business on MyMCMedia. Laura is the Director of Events & Marketing for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce - a member-based organization of businesses that have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic, commercial and industrial progress in our communities. The area's economic well-being is a result of the caliber of work that is done by the Chamber. The Chamber has a major impact on business, income and future growth of the area. My position at the Chamber - Director of Events & Marketing - affords me the opportunity to plan quality events for our Members and market the Chamber is a variety of avenues. At the GGCC, we typically have around 30 events each year including: breakfasts, lunches, after-five's, ribbon cuttings and special events. The consensus is we have high quality events with good energy. In 2012, we had over 2,040 people visit our events. Most our events are free to Members so securing sponsorships for all events. Additionally, I am responsible for planning networking, overseeing the budget and marketing of all events in order to make them successful. Lastly, I coordinate all marketing and communication efforts of the GGCC including weekly email blasts, its quarterly newsletter, all social media platforms, media relations and community outreach.

View all posts by Laura Rowles