U.S. Chamber Launches "On the Road with Free Enterprise"

Nationals Park Event Kicks Off Cross-Country Road Trip to Find and Tell the Stories of American Businesses and Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today launched “On the Road with Free Enterprise,” a two-month cross-country road trip to tell the story of free enterprise and what it means to the American economy. An event at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., is the first pit stop the two Free Enterprise Tour Guides, bloggers Joe Epstein and Nate Hindman, will make as they travel to 20 cities across the country—visiting with businesses, participating in local events, and stopping at famous landmarks—to find and tell the individual stories of hardworking entrepreneurs and small businesses across the United States.

“The free enterprise system is the best way to create opportunity,” said Tom Collamore, senior vice president of Communications and Strategy at the Chamber. “We look forward to showing the power of free enterprise in action.”

Epstein and Hindman, who were selected from a pool of more than 900 applicant teams, will document their experiences on the road with blog posts, photos, and videos on FreeEnterprise.com.

"We've been writing about small businesses and startups for years as online journalists," said Hindman, previously Huffington Post's small business editor and Epstein, who was a senior editor at Thrillist. "Now we want to step out from behind the computer screen," the pair added. "We're hitting the road to find America's most innovative business owners and meet with them face-to-face."

General Motors (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) are presenting sponsors of the “On the Road with Free Enterprise” tour. General Motors (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM)  will provide a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse for the Tour Guides, and T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) will provide phones, service, and other tools to enable them to stay connected.

Follow the Tour Guides on FreeEnterprise.com or on Twitter via @FreeEnterprise, and use the hashtag #FEtour to engage and see what others are saying.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.