Local business owner Jennifer Clark, owner of Emerge Events, is presenting the 4th Annual Pine Belt Women Business Owner Summit on Aug. 13-14 at the PRCC Woodall Center in Hattiesburg.
“Building Business. Building Community. Building Legacy” is the theme of this year’s Summit.
The 2026 theme is “Room to Breathe: Creating Space for What Matters Most”. Women business owners are carrying more than ever: The business. The finances. The marketing. The team. The family. The community. The responsibilities no one else sees. The answer isn’t always doing more. It’s creating the systems, strategies, support and profitability to grow your business while still having room for what matters most.
The Summit mission is to unite women business owners through connection, collaboration, and shared knowledge—empowering them to thrive personally and professionally.
“My goal is to surround women with connections, information and resources that can help them and their business grow and thrive,” said Clark. “The Summit provides a place and time where women business owners can build relationships, find opportunities for collaboration, and learn important information they need for their business. We also bring in partners who showcase resources that will be invaluable to many Summit attendees.”
This is the fourth year of the Summit. Jennifer Clark is also the co-founder of the Women Business Owners of the Pine Belt, an organization founded in 2011 to empower women business owners. This group meets twice a month to network and hear from guest speakers. The Summit serves as an additional resource and opportunity for women business owners to get together and find the information and resources they need.
According to 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20.4% of businesses fail in their first year after opening, 49.4% fail in their first 5 years, and 65.3% fail in their first 10 years. These statistics are disheartening and show the difficulties involved in running a business. It is essential to surround our local business owners with a strong community of peers, mentors, advisors, and collaborators to beat these statistics.
The Women Business Owner Summit relies on support from sponsors, such as Hancock Whitney and Chancellor Sumrall CPA, showing their commitment to women business owners in the Pine Belt and beyond.
What will attendees do at the Summit?
- Get inspired by 2 days of impactful speakers
- Personal and professional development that can directly impact the business
- Enjoy a Meet & Greet reception
- Connect with fellow women business owners and find opportunities for collaboration
- Get new clients and customers through networking
- Get information and resources from our community partners
- Get practical takeaways that can be immediately implemented
- Find new ideas, inspiration and learn about new trends in business
- Get accountability and motivation
- Find answers to questions about running a business
- Enjoy catering by women-owned businesses, and a chance to hear their stories
- Enter to win prizes
One and two-day tickets, as well as sponsorships, are available! https://www.emergeevents.com/wbos/
Jennifer Clark launched Emerge Events, a local event planning company, in 2011 with the Pine Belt Women’s Expo as the very first. Now Emerge Events continues to do local events, but also works on events globally.
For more information about the Women Business Owner Summit contact Jennifer Clark at (601) 270-2756, email Jennifer@EmergeEvents.com, or visit https://www.emergeevents.com/wbos/. Follow on Facebook and Instagram.
