The Rosie Network And Westfield Join Forces To Host “Rosie’s Market – A Veteran And Military Spouse Business Showcase” On Armed Forces Day

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 15, 2018) – The Rosie Network (TRN) and Westfield are partnering to spotlight local veteran and military family-owned businesses as part of the “Rosie’s Market – A Veteran and Military Spouse Business Showcase” taking place at Westfield Topanga (6600 Topanga Canyon Boulevard Canoga Park, CA 91303) between 11:00am-5:00pm on Saturday, May 19th.

Occurring in conjunction with Armed Forces Day, this one-day pop-up market provides a unique opportunity for approximately 20 local veteran entrepreneurs and military spouses to introduce their brands – and sell their products – to the wider community.

Just a few of the participating businesses showcased at the event (located on Level 1 of the shopping center near Urban Outfitters) will be:

• Country Rebel – Founded by Taylor Winston, a U.S. Marine vet who helped rescue more than twenty people during the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.  The Country Rebel brand’s products range from t-shirts and hats to handcrafted wood gift items.
• Hello Mermaid – Owned and operated by Kat T., spouse of an active-duty U.S. Navy SEAL, the boutique brands features cute and affordable boho-chic clothes, jewelry and gifts.
• 1904 Apothecary Lane – Founded by Kristine Dubin, a U.S. Marine spouse and finalist in the Martha Stewart ‘American Made’ national competition, this brand specializes in handcrafted soaps, bath and body care products, and men’s care products.

In partnership with Operation Gratitude, visitors will be also be able to give back and say “thank you” to our troops currently serving overseas by helping to create care packages filled with food, entertainment, personal hygiene products, handmade items, as well as personal letters of appreciation.

The day’s events will also include an American Red Cross blood drive (10 am – 4pm), Color Guard ceremony, a medley of musical performances, and much more!

“We believe that our veterans and military spouses have earned the right to the American Dream of small business ownership,” said Stephanie Brown, Founder & CEO of The Rosie Network.  “Showcasing our veteran and military spouse small business owners is good for our country, good for our economy, and good for the communities where these military families work and live.” Earlier this month, Stephanie Brown was named the SBA’s 2018 Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year.

The Rosie Network, a 501(c)3 organization, was founded in 2012 by U.S. Navy SEAL entrepreneurial spouses to address the high unemployment rates of military spouses and transitioning veterans with the goal of strengthening today’s families through entrepreneurship. Launched in February 2014, Rosie’s List search tool features over 15,000 verified military family-owned businesses in every state, with new members joining daily. The “Rosie’s List” search engine makes it easy for the 70% of Americans who prefer to patronize veteran and military spouse-owned businesses to locate businesses around the country. In July of 2016, The Rosie Network opened the Military Entrepreneur Development Center (MEDC), the first shared-office incubator serving the veteran and military spouse community in Southern California. In 2017, the MEDC was awarded the SBA’s National Growth Accelerator Award for Excellence, having launched 25 local military family-owned small businesses in its first year. Today, it supports more than 500 military entrepreneurs and houses over 60 resident businesses.

“Giving back to the many women and men in our community who have served our nation is what the Westfield Veterans Initiative is all about”, said Molly Unger, Westfield Topanga’s Vice President and General Manager.  “Providing meaningful opportunities for entrepreneurship to military families is ultimately beneficial to our entire community and we’re tremendously proud to support organizations like The Rosie Network and programs like their Business Showcase.”

###

ABOUT THE ROSIE NETWORK

The Rosie Network (TRN), founded in 2012, is strengthening today’s military families by providing our veteran and military spouse business owners with the critical marketing tools, training and financial resources necessary to launch and/or grow their small businesses in the communities in which they live and serve. By leveraging our technology’s online marketplace and engaging in community outreach efforts, TRN is creating a link between our military entrepreneurs and today’s consumers. For more information about programs and services, or to donate to TRN, visit www.therosienetwork.org.

ABOUT WESTFIELD

Westfield Corporation (ASX: WFD) is an internally managed, vertically integrated, shopping center group undertaking ownership, development, design, construction, funds/asset management, property management, leasing and marketing activities and employing approximately 2,000 staff worldwide. Westfield Corporation has interests in 35 shopping centers in the United States and the United Kingdom encompassing more than 6,500 retail outlets and total assets under management of $34.5 billion. For more information, please visit: www.westfieldcorp.com.