FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2008

Columbus, OH -- Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher today announced the creation of the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division within the Ohio Department of Development and the elevation of Iris Cooper as director. Cooper was serving as Manager of the Office of Small Business Development, which has been elevated to division status as a result of the Strickland/Fisher Administration’s priority of creating more opportunities for small businesses to succeed in Ohio.

"The elevation of this office to a division reflects our commitment to an increased focus on fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in businesses throughout Ohio," said Lt. Governor Fisher, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development. "Iris began with the Department last spring and brought with her numerous creative and exciting ideas for expanding small business in Ohio. Iris's background as a business owner and her experience in the financial services arena have given her an outstanding mix of expertise and insight into the needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs."

The Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division manages a variety of programs and initiatives that assist entrepreneurs and 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.

Iris Cooper has worked in the financial services arena for more than 25 years, providing financing programs for new and rehabilitated housing, commercial real estate, and small business. She has developed an expertise in the management of a variety of projects for both non-profit and for-profit businesses. Iris is a featured event speaker under her business, Pyramid Marketing Communications, with a certification as a seminar speaker from Les Brown Enterprises and as a mediator from Capital University School of Law.

For several years, Cooper served as President of Community Capital Development Corporation and Strategies Against Violence Everywhere and she is a past President of the Child Development Council of Franklin County. She was a founding trustee for the Columbus/Franklin County Port Financing Authority in 2006, and is currently a board member of Columbus Area Community Mental Health. She was also honored in 2006 as a YWCA Woman of Achievement and a 2008 Woman of Economic and Leadership Development.

Cooper holds a BA degree in Journalism and an MBA in Marketing from Indiana University. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and a steward of St. Paul A.M.E. Church. A photo of Iris Cooper is available by clicking here.

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Media contacts: Melissa Ament at (614) 466-6619 or Kimber Perfect at (614) 466-2609