March 5, 2007

In an extension of his popular Small Business Days with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, George Cloutier, Chairman of Partner America, helped kick-off Super Bowl XLI in Miami well before the coin toss, presenting his proven formulas for business success to more than 100 small business owners.

During the Super Bowl XLI Playbook for Small Business Workshop at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce January 9, part of the NFL Community Impact Program sponsored by the NFL and Sprint, Cloutier offered strategies for small business profitability and his Top Ten Truths about small business success, from getting off the golf course to improving leadership.

Cloutier, who founded American Management Services (AMS) in 1986 and formed the partnership between AMS and the Conference of Mayors, has become the nation’s top expert in small business profitability. Servicing more than 6,000 clients in more than 400 industries over the past 20 years, Cloutier offers small and mid'sized businesses the tools to overcome obstacles and to make a profit.

“I am so pleased that the NFL has taken an interest the Super Bowl’s host regions by promoting education and business development,” Cloutier said. “As a small businessman myself, I have learned the benefits and pitfalls of growing a business from the ground up, and am honored to be here today to impart the lessons I’ve learned to the South Florida business community.”

The workshop “Free Agency: Taking Your Business to the Next Level” is part of a series of seven workshops the NFL Community Impact Program presents to small businesses with an emphasis on women- and minority-owned enterprises. The end goal is to promote partnerships between local Chambers of Commerce and growth-oriented firms that might not otherwise participate in these organizations.

The NFL will donate scholarship dollars to supporting Chambers of Commerce to increase diversity and inclusion and to provide “success stories” when the Super Bowl returns in 2010.

To learn more about the Partner America Program, go to the website at www.partneramerica.com or send email to Jeffrey Bean, Managing Director at jbean@usmayors.org.