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COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Development’s Division of Entrepreneurship and Small Business and Small Business Development Centers are now accepting nominations for the 2008 Keys to Success Awards, which recognize the accomplishments and economic contributions of successful Ohio women business owners. Ohio has more than its fair share of success stories about women business owners, and now is the time to share them with the Ohio Department of Development.

"Ohio’s businesswomen have made significant contributions to our local, state, and national economies,” said Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development. “Women entrepreneurs represent more than 30 percent of self-employed persons in Ohio and help us to build a diverse business climate."

Keys to Success Award winners will be selected based on nomination forms received. Awards will be selected in seven categories: Manufacturing/Technology; Service; Wholesale/Retail; Real Estate/Construction; Healthcare/Medical; Marketing/Advertising/Public Relations; and Rising Star (in business less than five years). Potential recipients must be female majority owners of companies with annual revenues in excess of $500,000, except for Rising Star ($200,000).

Nomination forms are available online at http://www.entrepreneurohio.org or by calling (800) 848-1300, ext. 6-2711, for additional information. Nomination packages must be submitted by August 8 and an awards ceremony will be held on September 30, 2008 at the Oscar Event Center in Cincinnati.

The Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division manages a variety of programs and initiatives that assist small businesses in growing and finding success in Ohio. The Division also hosts the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio program, which provides consulting and training assistance to small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs to promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity, and improved management. The Centers are supported through a partnership among the Ohio Department of Development, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and several of Ohio’s chambers of commerce, colleges and universities, and economic development agencies.