Fairfax County is looking to woo entrepreneurial women -- not with diamonds and pearls, but with a new federal program offering set aside contracts to woman owned small businesses.

On Feb. 2, the county's economic development authority will hold a symposium for people interested in the program, to begin early this year. The event will also include the results of the U.S. Bureau of the Census Survey of Women-Owned Businesses, a panel discussion on various business certifications, as well as a presentation on the Small, Women and Minority-Owned Business (SWaM) Certification program of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"Women-owned businesses are one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. business community," said Gerald Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. "And we want to attract even more women-owned businesses here."