OPENING REMARKS OF SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY
SIXTH ANNUAL WOMEN=S ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 21, 2002

Thanks, Deb, for your gracious introduction.  You are an example of the message we want to get across here.  You made a decision to run for Secretary of State even though you had never run for elected office before.  You won.  You proved that in Vermont, we are only limited by our imaginations and our dreams. 

Welcome to the Sixth Annual Women=s Economic Opportunity Conference.  I want to thank each of you for taking time out of a busy fall weekend to be here.

Thank you to the Small Business Administration. . . the Vermont Small Business Development Center and other members of the planning committee who are responsible for making this conference happen. 

A special thank you to President Allan Rodgers for use of the Vermont Technical College again this year:  Your campus is the ideal central location for this event – and your graduates are a helping keep Vermont the vibrant place we love.

Let me make one thing crystal clear:   I think this women’s conference is about the best thing my office does each year.  I have heard from dozens of Vermont women over the years about how a workshop they attended here . . . a connection they made here. . . a skill they learned here. . .  a story they heard here helped change their lives in a positive way.

Change is not easy.  Acquiring new skills can be intimidating.  But please. . . I don’t want to hear anyone saying they are to old to change. . . or too old to learn new skills.

I’m 62.  I don’t think 62 is old – though my kids remind me that I’m no spring chicken.

But last year I jumped out of an airplane with the Vermont Air Guard.  I went scuba diving with Art Cohn in Lake Champlain.  I jumped off a mountain strapped to a parasail.  I went target shooting with members of the Capitol Police (and held my own).  My life is now run by this little black machine, which gives me e-mails, newspaper clips, memos from my staff, and the occasional personal note from my wife Marcelle.

With the exception of target shooting, all these things came to me late in life.

So let’s go into today with an open mind about what is possible.

You will see we have a lot to offer today, including resume writing . . . financial planning . . . web design.  These workshops are a great way to find out how you can get the skills to run a successful business or start a new career.

There are many valuable opportunities and resources available to you today.  I urge you to stop by the tables that have been set up by all of the exhibitors who have joined us, and to explore their information.  Make sure you take advantage of the variety of workshops being offered.

I am especially pleased with the large offering of computer-related workshops.  The Internet can be an incredible tool for finding a job, for starting a new business, or even revitalizing an existing one, and it has led to explosive growth in e‑commerce in Vermont and across the country.  Web pages allow Vermont businesses to give their products and services exposure to consumers worldwide.  In 1969, there were only four computer servers hooked to the Internet.  Now there are more than 56 million hosts.  Given this growth, estimates that e-business will grow ten‑fold in the next decade may be too conservative.

 

The goal of this conference is to empower women of all ages and in every stage of life to create their own success and to fulfill their dreams, whatever they may be.  In each of these undertakings, you must take stock of your current situation, identify your goals, and determine the best way to achieve them. 

Whether you are starting your own business, changing careers, or re‑entering the workforce, there are many of the same issues and challenges to face.  Women today must still overcome barriers to gaining access to capital, getting exposure to new technologies, and achieving economic security.  Women are also much more likely to move in and out of the workforce, taking time off to raise kids or care for elderly parents.  As we will hear in a few moments from our keynote speaker, overcoming obstacles in the home and personal life is a necessary step to becoming successful in a career.