Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 3-3-17

Local State News
Senator Darryl Rouson And Representative Lori Berman File Legislation To Curb Tobacco Addiction
Women’s Business Centre Is Training Ground And Support System For Female Entrepreneurs
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
For the past three years,
Stacey Banks Houston
has helped thousands of women realize their entre- preneurial dreams as direc- tor of the Women’s Business Centre at the Tampa-based Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women.
Houston says she finds the job continuously reward- ing. Most inspiring is the women’s breadth of busi- nesses that include social media and healthcare con- sulting, nonprofits, and pet bakeries.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I’m always surprised be- cause it’s not the traditional businesses.”
The Centre is part of a na- tional network of women’s business centers that assist women in starting small businesses. Funded in part by the U. S. Small Business Association, the Centre is the only SBA-women’s business center on Florida’s west coast.
The Centre received that designation the same year Houston came onboard from Cleveland, Ohio. Armed with an MBA and an exten- sive background in small business development, Houston set about making the Centre the premier re- source for empowering women through entrepre- neurship.
During her tenure, Houston said she and her
STACEY BANKS HOUSTON
staff have initiated and ex- panded programming, in- cluding Bravo 5, a partnership with Hillsbor- ough County to assist women veterans who are business owners.
They’ve also counseled and trained 3,000 women who are at various stages of entrepreneurship.
Some are just getting started while others have op- erated their businesses for many years and are poised for expansion.
The Centre’s services – consulting, mentoring, work- shops, and webinars – are designed to help women wherever they are in their en- trepreneurial journey, she said.
“Oftentimes, women come to the Centre with lofty ideas that may need to be fine-tuned or scaled back. But they are never told to give up” Houston said.
“I always tell my coun- selors that we’re not here to
judge whether or not some- one should start a business,” she said. “Sometimes, you have an idea that’s your dream and I’m not here to bust that bubble.”
Florida is fertile ground for women-owned busi- nesses. It is the 10th fastest- growing state for women-owned firms, up 67 percent since 2007.
But there’s still work to do, said Houston.
Women remain behind their male counterparts in obtaining funding for their businesses, especially minor- ity women.
And while African-Amer- ican women are tops in start- ing businesses, they struggle to sustain them, Houston said.
Changing the above will require more women to show up and invest in other women, she said.
“We need to support one another,” she said.
Colette Glover- Han- nah is in the fourth year of operating her business, Han- nah’s Shoebox, which offers large size, age-appropriate shoes for young girls and teens.
She credits both the Cen- tre and Houston for helping her business evolve.
“I say she’s part of my dream team,” she said. “Stacy’s part of that team because she’s a good resource for putting people together.”
Houston, a mother of two, says her goal is to see more women-owned busi- nesses get started and flour- ish.
“There’s a lot of help here,” she said. “People gen- uinely want to help you.”
Want to start a business or looking for help with your existing venture? Visit www.womensbusinesscen- tre.org to learn more about services at the Women’s Business Centre at the Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women.
Among Our Youth
STATE SENATOR DARRYL ROUSON
REPRESENTATIVE LORI BERMAN
Senator Darryl Rou- son (D-St. Petersburg/ Tampa) and Representa- tive Lori Berman (D-Lan- tana) have introduced SB 1138 and HB 1093 in order to raise Florida’s tobacco sales age from 18 to 21.
The legislation promises to curb smoking rates, pro- tect kids from a deadly addic- tion, and save lives and money.
The bills would apply not only to cigarettes, but also electronic dispensing devices, also known as e-cigarettes, as well as other tobacco prod- ucts, such as chewing to- bacco.
Raising the tobacco sales age to 21 would have the biggest effect on teens aged 15-17.
“I am hopeful this bill will prevent our youth from tak- ing up the tobacco habit,” said Representative Lori
Berman. “It is an addiction that causes serious health is- sues and costs our state a lot of money in the long run.”
Evidence suggests the adolescent brain is more sus- ceptible to the addictive qual- ities of nicotine.
“This initiative is about addiction prevention,” stated Senator Darryl Rouson. “By raising the smoking age to 21 we can prevent not only addiction, but also the dan- gerous and life-threatening side effects that come along with tobacco use.”
The tobacco industry tar- gets young adults ages 18 to 21 because they know it is a critical time for solidifying nicotine addiction.
If passed, Florida would be the third state to raise its tobacco sales age to 21. The policy also has been passed in at least 210 cities and coun- ties nationwide.
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