The bad weather currently blanketing the northeast did not keep our intrepid business contributor, Rebecca Harris from making it to the nation's capital Monday. She sat on a business roundtable at the White House which focused on the government's interest in local businesses.
Harris received the invitation from Sam Brown, Director of the White House Business Council, a part of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
"The history of the White House business council was convened back in 1933, in the early days of the administration when Roosevelt had his commerce secretary gather in Washington and allow the leaders of the big companies to really help advise on a lot of the policies. And then in 2011 the White House Business Council began partnering with an organization that's a nonprofit called Business Forward. And they host a number of these conversations both at the White House and then around the country. And they bring in senior officials from the administration and they talk with local business leaders to see really what the needs and opportunities are in communities to help really create more jobs and accelerate economic recovery."
Harris says one of the main points discussed this year is the need for women to serve on corporate boards. She points to studies from the nonprofit, Catalyst which show that women who serve on corporate boards help increase the bottom line.
