Press Release
Contact:
Jocelyn Sese |
919-549-7500
ext.119 |
Grant Thornton Commits $100,000 to CED
October 21, 2002, Research Triangle Park, NC - Grant Thornton has pledged $100,000 to the Council for Entrepreneurial Development's (CED) Innovation to Impact campaign. CED has raised over $4 million for the five-year strategic initiative, designed to support area entrepreneurship.
"This generous pledge reflects Grant Thornton's strong commitment to the high growth community in our region, and helps to ensure CED's ability to continue offering valuable programs to future generations of entrepreneurs," said Monica Doss, CED president. "The firm's participation in this campaign demonstrates its leadership and vision in the entrepreneurial market."
Through Innovation to Impact, CED will embark on the following:
- Provide a wider and deeper set of services in the areas of management and leadership development, especially to companies further along in their life cycles.
- Engage government, civic, academic, corporate, and technology organizations for both the delivery of entrepreneur-oriented services and programs, and for regional positioning, promotion, and message-shaping.
- Expand the pipeline of potential high-growth companies by actively encouraging their development in traditionally under-represented areas and groups.
"It's a pleasure for us to make this commitment to the Innovation to Impact campaign," says Mark Larson, Assurance Partner at Grant Thornton LLP. "We understand and greatly appreciate the importance of the CED and its role in fostering entrepreneurial growth. Entrepreneurs are a critical part of the Research Triangle's economic system and they have a vital role in the continued growth of our region. We look forward to continuing support of these efforts by providing our own resources and services whenever and wherever possible to both the CED and the business community."
Other current $100,000 investors to Innovation to Impact include: Bank of America; Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP; Cingular Wireless; Comerica Incorporated Technology and Life Sciences Division; Daniels & Daniels, P.A.; Deloitte & Touche LLP; Ernst & Young, LLP; Gray Ventures, Inc.; hesketh.com; Hutchison & Mason PLLC; Intersouth Partners; Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman, LLP; Kilpatrick Stockton LLP; Maupin Taylor & Ellis, P.A.; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; RBC Centura; Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP; Southeast Interactive Technology Funds; Springboard Managed Hosting; US Trust; Wachovia; Wakefield Group, L.P.; Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC; WUNC Radio; Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP.
Current $150,000 investors to Innovation to Impact include: Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc.; Alston & Bird LLP
About Grant Thornton
Grant Thornton is the leading global accounting, tax, and business advisory
firm dedicated to serving the needs of middle-market companies. Founded
in 1924, Grant Thornton serves public and private middle-market clients
through 51 offices in the United States and in more than 650 offices
in 109 countries through Grant Thornton International. Grant Thornton's
Web address is www.GrantThornton.com
About CED
The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle
Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate
the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research
Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring, and capital formation
resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual
conferences, seminars, workshops, and monthly programs on entrepreneurial
management and finance. CED is the largest entrepreneurial support organization
in the nation, with more than 5,000 members representing 1,100 entrepreneurial
companies, financiers, and professional firms. For more information,
visit www.cednc.org.