The exciting event featured female entrepreneurs from Arizona and other regions of the country who will competed for business development packages that include money, marketing, mentoring and technology assistance to help their businesses grow into million-dollar enterprises. The event also included educational and network opportunities in addition to keynote speeches by Governor Janet Napolitano and Special guest Nely Galan, Founder, GalAn Entertainment.

Described as a cross between "The Apprentice" and " American Idol," the competition provided twenty finalists the opportunity to present their business in a 3 minute "elevator pitch" to a panel of business experts and a live audience. Ten winners were chosen by the audience and judges who collaborate on the selection process.

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Each awardee will receive an extensive awards package with the following benefits that will help their businesses to break through the million-dollar barrier:

* Inspiration, community, financing and mentoring from a "dream" team of coaches and business experts from Count Me In. * Up to $50,000 in Financing from OPEN from American Express. * Cisco Smart Business Communication network from Cisco Systems valued at up to $20,000 for one awardee. * Discounts from FedEx select shipping and office and print services. * Dell Vostro Notebook, built exclusively for small business valued up to $1,000.

Launched in 2005 by Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence and founding partner OPEN from American Express, the Make Mine a Million $ Business program was created to help post-start up, women-owned business grow to one million dollars in annual revenue. Since the inception, the program has hosted 14 competitions in cities around the country and grown into a nationwide movement. For the Arizona event, over 1,000 applications were submitted in hopes of securing one of the twenty finalist openings.

"We thrilled by the eagerness of women in Arizona and across the nation to participate in this event,"said Nell Merlino,founder and president of Count Me In. "The number of applicants mirrors the growth of our entrepreneurs' business and their desire to take them to the million dollar level."

The Make Mine a Million $ Business program has garnered support from organizations who are all joining hands in order to make an impact in women's lives and strengthening the US economy. The impressive list of blue-chip national sponsors include OPEN from American Express, Cisco, FedEx, QVC, Jet Blue, Marriot, and Dell. Sponsors provide an array of products and services that serve as invaluable tools for growth.

For more information about how women can grow their businesses visit www.makemineamillion.org

Cathryn Scheeler
Desert Breeze Glass
480-752-8191