A $1 Million Tale: One Woman's Business Building Triumph.

Entrepreneur to Share Secrets of Her Success During Oct. 24 Teleclass

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Business ideas are a dime a dozen, but it takes a special person and a strategic plan to turn a concept into a business reality. Having a vision in place for your business could be crucial to the success and growth of your company.

As a dedicated partner to women business owners, the Principal Financial Group([R]) will offer the complimentary teleclass: A $1 Million Tale: One Woman's Business Building Triumph on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at noon CDT (1 p.m. EDT, 11 a.m. MDT and 10 a.m. PDT). During this class, women business owners will get an edge by hearing the inspirational story of the Tennessee Bun Company's Cordia Harrington, along with her advice on taking an idea and creating a world-class business venture.

"Rarely in business will an idea sell itself," said Michelle Swanda, marketing manager for The Principal([R]). "Every business owner can benefit from learning about the steps needed to position, market and capitalize on their creativity. This class will offer a great example of an entrepreneur who saw a need, seized an opportunity and created a thriving company."

The teleclass on Oct. 24 is part of The Principal Women in Business Teleclass Series designed to offer business development strategies to women business owners. All classes take place on "Teleclass Tuesdays" and run through December. The 2007 Teleclass series kicks off on January 30.

Meet the Speaker

Cordia Harrington is the founder, CEO and president of Tennessee Bun Company. Founded in 1996, Tennessee Bun Company supplies buns to restaurants such as McDonald's, Chili's and Pepperidge Farm. Tennessee Bun Company is one of the most highly-automated bakeries in the world, producing 1,000 buns per minute, and ships to 40 states east of the Rockies and to the Caribbean.

Harrington has been nationally recognized in multiple media outlets. In 2005, she was featured on the CBS Early Show, ABC's Money Matters, NPR's Motley Fool and NBC Nightly News. She was ranked 16th on FAST Company magazine's list of the Fastest Growing Woman-Owned Businesses in 2004. In 2000, the National Association of Women Business Owners named Harrington "Women Business Owner of the Year." Her companies have also received recognition in Nashville's Future 50 since 1999.

"Building a business from the ground up and seeing it take off is the most rewarding experience an entrepreneur can have," Harrington noted. "My passion is to help other people discover the incredible potential inside of them and while there is no secret recipe for building a million dollar company, hearing about someone else's experience can definitely help to guide you along the way."

In 1999, Harrington opened Nashville Bun Company (NBC), a producer of English muffins for McDonald's, Sheetz, Perkin's, and Wolferman's gourmet English muffins. She added a hearth line to NBC in 2005 to supply McDonald's and O'Charley's. In 2005, Harrington also purchased the Cold Storage of Nashville freezer facility, and there are plans to build a third bakery in 2007.

An active member of the community, Harrington is a member of the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, Leadership Nashville, Committee of 2000, Chi Omega Foundation and the St. Thomas Health Services Fund. She is also very involved with the Ronald McDonald House Charities both locally and nationally.

How to Get Involved

Pre-register for classes at www.principal.com/women. Space is limited. All classes are held at noon CDT (1 p.m. EDT, 11 a.m. MDT and 10 a.m. PDT) on the dates scheduled. In-depth information about the 2006 classes, topics and speakers, as well as previously-conducted teleclasses via streaming audio, is available at www.principal.com/women.

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group([R])(The Principal ([R]))1 is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies and national network of financial professionals. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $206.0 billion in assets under management2and serves some 16.3 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

1 "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

2 As of June 30, 2006