ICYMI- Internet trade group, big name companies in Lynchburg for small biz web crawl

WSLS 10
Internet trade group, big name companies in Lynchburg for small biz web crawl
Posted: April 8, 2013 9:25

LYNCHBURG, VA – A trade group representing some of the biggest names in the internet industry — companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon — will be in Lynchburg Monday to learn more about how the web is helping local companies grow.  The Internet Association is a Washington DC based group that promotes the internet industry and advocates for pro-internet legislation.

Monday afternoon, they and representatives from the companies they work with will embark on a crawl of four businesses in Lynchburg that have used their internet presence to expand and create jobs.   They include women’s clothing boutique Gladiola Girls, Sam Stroud Photography, The Academy of Arts, and a non-profit group that helps disabled people find homes called Rush Homes.

“The stories of how medium and small sized businesses are using the internet and products of our companies is not something people really think about,” said Michael Beckerman, President and CEO of The Internet Association.  “And the more we tell these stories, the more policy makers are going to realize that this is the future of our economy and it’s powering non-internet, non-tech businesses in small communities all over this country.”

The group invited Congressman Bob Goodlatte to visit the businesses with them.  The Lynchburg crawl is just one piece of a larger nationwide effort to raise awareness and connect with lawmakers.  Similar events have taken place in Washington DC and Austin, Texas.

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