Ms. Friedman told those gathered at the luncheon: "It is small business that truly fuels our economy. NASDAQ is honored to support entrepreneurs as they evolve their business from the germ of a great idea to large enterprises that touch all of our lives and make our lives better. The National Minority Business Council and you as entrepreneurs should be proud of the role you play in the U.S. economy. It is your entrepreneurial spirit and your willingness to make leaps of faith that ultimately carries us all forward."
The NMBC presented NASDAQ with the Outstanding Corporate Support Award for 2003. The award was in recognition of NASDAQ's long-standing commitment to include small and medium-sized companies in the capital formation process.
"NASDAQ's track record in assisting smaller and minority-owned businesses during the capital formation process is unparalleled," said John Robinson, President and CEO of the National Minority Business Council. "By providing an efficient environment for raising capital, NASDAQ has helped thousands of companies achieve growth and make the transition to public ownership."
The National Minority Business Council, Inc. has been helping small, minority and women-owned businesses succeed for over a quarter century. Founded in 1972 as a full-service, non-profit (501)(c)(3) corporation, the organization is dedicated to providing business assistance, educational opportunities, seminars, purchasing listings and related services to hundreds of businesses throughout the nation. The strength of the organization resides in its members of successful entrepreneurs who are committed to their business and to the NMBC's continuing goal of expanding opportunities available to small, minority and women business owners. The Council's leaders, whose combined experiences spans score of years of fostering and nurturing businesses, provide the highest assurance that the NMBC will continue to address the needs and goals of its constituents.
NASDAQ is the world's largest electronic stock market. With approximately 3,300 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. It is home to category-defining companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology industries. NASDAQ is the primary market for trading NASDAQ listed stocks. Approximately 54% of NASDAQ-listed shares traded are reported to NASDAQ systems. For more information about NASDAQ, visit the NASDAQ Web site at www.NASDAQ.com or the NASDAQ NewsroomSM at www.NASDAQnews.com.
