Profile of a Successful Woman Entrepreneur
Background
Laura da Ponte had everything going for her in Dalton, Georgia. She had been living their for over 13 years, working her way up the corporate ladder through the biggest carpet manufacturer in the world, Shaw Industries. To put that into perspective, Shaw did more than $4 billion in sales in 2016 and has over 22,000 employees worldwide. However, Shaw resides in the small town of Dalton, GA which is referred to “the carpet capital of the world” because of its 150+ carpet plants located in the town. Laura enjoyed her job, made a great living, and enjoyed the small town of Dalton. She made the tough decision to leave Dalton in 2002 to go about two hours north to Knoxville, Tennessee, a place she called home. Laura grew up in Knoxville, TN and went to high school at Bearden High School. After deciding to stay home for college, she enrolled in the University of Tennessee in 1982 with no idea what to do with her life. After switching majors a few times, she decided to major in Industrial Engineering. She
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However, she moved from Dalton to Knoxville, TN “because I wanted to own or be a partner in a business and my father had just died. It was important for me for our kids to grow up around family and go to a good school”. Laura and her husband enrolled their son at the school her husband went to, Webb School of Knoxville and was waiting to enroll their daughter in school there as soon as she was of age. Moving to Knoxville meant that Laura was reconnected with her two older brothers and one older sister, while her husband David was only a few minutes from his mothers house as well. She felt that this was a big part of her and David’s life but also her kids life. She wanted her kids to feel an impact with family around, and to experience the beautiful city of Knoxville that she had grown to love growing