SCORE Joins the 'Small Business Saturday(SM)' Movement to Drive Business to Small Business

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Nov 23, 2010, 09:00 ET

U.S. Consumers Encouraged to Join the Movement and Spread the Word

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. On November 27th comes Small Business Saturday, a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday is a national movement to drive shoppers to local merchants across the U.S.

SCORE joins the national movement spearheaded by American Express OPEN, the company's division dedicated to U.S. small businesses, who is partnering with more than a dozen small business advocate groups. SCORE recognizes the importance of small businesses nationwide, the revenue they generate and the character they instill in their local neighborhoods.

SCORE CEO Ken Yancey says, "Small businesses have always been the engine of America's economy and SCORE is proud to be a partner in the small business Saturday movement."

"We are proud to welcome SCORE into the Small Business Saturday movement," said Susan Sobbott, president, American Express OPEN. "We hope to get as many supporters on board as possible to raise awareness and generate demand for small, independently owned businesses this holiday season and beyond."

Joining the Movement

Social media will play a central role in helping raise awareness about the importance of supporting small business and recognizing Small Business Saturday. American Express launched campaigns on Facebook and Twitter driving consumers and business owners to facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday where they can participate in many ways.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 8.5 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. More than 13,000 business experts volunteer as mentors in 354 chapters serving local communities with entrepreneur education to help grow 1 million small businesses.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800/634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at www.score.org and www.score.org/women. Connect with SCORE at www.facebook.com/SCOREFans, www.twitter.com/SCOREMentors and www.scorecommunity.org.

About American Express OPEN

American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners and online tools and services designed to help improve profitability. Learn more at www.OPEN.com and connect with us at www.openforum.com, www.facebook.com/open and www.twitter.com/openforum.

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

SOURCE SCORE Association