WBDC 23RD Annual Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference
September 16, 2009 - Navy Pier, Chicago
The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) held its
23rd Annual Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference and Women’s Business & Buyers Mart on September 16, 2009 at Chicago’s Navy Pier, attracting over 2,000 participants seeking contract opportunities and resources to start or expand their businesses.
The annual
Women’s Forum Breakfast kicked-off the event, featuring several nationally-recognized women business owners who shared their personal stories of business success, as well as the greatest challenges they have faced, and offered advice for overcoming those challenges. Moderated by best-selling author and Chicago Sun-Times financial columnist Terry Savage, this year’s panel included: Julie Cyra, Founder, West 20 Ranch and Saddle Company; Chef LaLa (Laura Diaz-Brown), Chef, Author, and Founder of SAVOR! Catering; Ellen R. Gordon, President, Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.; and Dee Robinson Reid, President and Founder, Robinson-Hill Group, Inc.
Penny S. Pritzker, an innovative business builder, civic leader, philanthropist, and the chairman of four corporations, delivered a personal and moving keynote address at the
Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon. Said Pritzker, “As an entrepreneur with deep personal and business roots in Chicago, I am grateful for the opportunities this great city and the State of Illinois have afforded me for so many years. In this state, and throughout the U.S., women are real catalysts for economic development. And while we are facing the same headwinds from this recession as everybody else, we’re tenaciously investing in the future.”
The WBDC also honored entrepreneurs, advocates and corporations for their advocacy and support of women’s economic development and empowerment during the Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon.
The 2009 Hall of Fame Awards recipients are:
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2009 Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year, Kim Holstein, CEO, Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels
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2009 Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year – WBE Success, Sharon Castillo, Principal, SB Services, Inc.
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2009 Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year – Rising Star, Kali Evans-Raoul, President, The Image Studios
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2009 Advocacy Award, Lori Healey, President, Chicago 2016
•
2009 Corporate Support Award, Microsoft Corporation
The
Women’s Business & Buyers Mart, the oldest and largest business opportunities fair for WBEs in the country, featured more than 200 government and corporate buyers committed to purchasing products and services from women business owners. Corporate Connections, one-on-one prescreened meetings between certified Women Business Enterprises (WBE) and WBDC corporate and government partners, had over 300 individual appointments scheduled where nearly 200 certified WBEs met with buyers from 24 corporations and government entities.
WBDC Co-President Attends 2016 Olympic Decision
Hedy Ratner Travels to Copenhagen, Denmark
Hedy Ratner, WBDC Co-President and a member of the Chicago 2016 Committee, traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark to participate with the Chicago 2016 Olympic supporters. The 2016 Chicago committees and delegation toured Copenhagen and received a warm welcome. “Everywhere we went in Copenhagen people were supporting Chicago. As we rode our bicycles throughout Copenhagen in our official Chicago 2016 attire, people shouted their support for Chicago.” said Hedy.
The supporters were confident of Chicago’s success until it was announced that Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting. Hedy recalls, “There was a gasp in the room where we were all watching the voting, and then it was completely silent. Everyone was shocked.”
Despite a disappointing loss for Chicago, the WBDC is certain that the work done in preparation for the 2016 Olympic bid will continue. The outreach, certification and procurement goals the Chicago 2016 committee, stakeholders and City Council supported will continue. The WBDC, along with its partners, will also persist in capacity building and outreach efforts to include more women, minorities and people with disabilities in bidding for Chicago area contracts.
WBE Spotlight
InclusionINC®
Shirley Engelmeier, CEO and founder of InclusionINC, knows that building on your experience and distinguishing yourself from the competition are important aspects of running a successful business.
In 2001, Shirley founded Minneapolis, MN based InclusionINC. InclusionINC built on Shirley’s extensive experience working and consulting in the area of workforce diversity. However, Shirley’s vision for InclusionINC moved from helping companies simply achieve diversity to genuinely fostering inclusion, where everyone’s voice is heard and talents are being utilized. Certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise in 2005, InclusionINC works with Fortune 500 and emerging companies to help them develop strategies for engagement, retention and productivity.
InclusionINC has developed several successful tools such as Learning Over Time™, the four step Inclusion Strategy Implementation Model, and customized inclusion metrics. These ideas have helped to distinguish InclusionINC, and corporations are noticing. In June 2008, InclusionINC was selected by SUPERVALU, the nation’s largest grocery distributor and third largest grocery retailer, to help the company create an inclusive workplace. “We’re very excited to be providing an organization-wide Learning Over Time solution to an esteemed diversity and inclusion leader such as SUPERVALU,” says Shirley. InclusionINC has also recently secured contracts with several other companies, including ESPN, U.S. Cellular and H.J. Heinz.
Shirley has been a smart and selective user of the services offered by the WBDC-MN office. She appreciates the Corporate Partner networking events, where she has had the opportunity to meet new supplier diversity representatives, and the educational opportunities provided by the WBDC-MN staff. Shirley also attends the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) annual conference each year.
InclusionINC continues to be a growing business. In 2007, InclusionINC began a major business expansion implementing an aggressive growth strategy that has resulted in InclusionINC “being found” by clients throughout the United States. Shirley and InclusionINC were also recently featured in Minnesota Forbes and the October 19, 2009 issue of Forbes, Best of Minnesota Section.
Shirley’s passion and love for what she does combined with InclusionINC’s ability to distinguish itself from the competition, have proven to be a winning strategy.
WBDC Client Opens Subway Store!
3776 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60613
WBDC client Vivian Balagtas has recently become the owner of Subway Store 1112 at 3776 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60613. The store will host its Grand Opening from October 23 to October 25, 2009 and will feature a buy one, get one free sandwich special (no coupon needed)!
Vivian took the WBDC 12 week FastTrac Planning: Maximizing the Potential for Your Business series. Vivian says, “The FastTrac program helped me understand the most basic business concepts so a woman like me, who is going into business for the first time, would feel empowered.” Vivian also submitted the PowerPoint presentation she created in FastTrac to her underwriter, and it caught not only the attention of the banker but also the attention of the SBA.
The WBDC congratulates Vivian on her business success!
Funder Spotlight
BP America
The WBDC is honored to be funded in part by BP America. Since 1990, BP America has supported the programs of the WBDC through contributions focused on increasing women’s economic independence through business ownership. BP America has also sponsored the WBDC’s Annual Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference and Women’s Business & Buyers Mart since 1997, making BP one of the Center’s longest standing partners. From general operating support, to event sponsorship, to in-kind printing of programmatic material, BP continues its remarkable dedication to women’s business ownership, economic development and supplier diversity.
Of course, the WBDC could not honor BP America without recognizing the significant contributions of Debra Jennings-Johnson, Director of Supplier Diversity and Chair of the WBDC Board of Directors. For over 13 years, Debra has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Center and its mission to increase women’s economic impact. Her leadership continues to inspire the work of the WBDC. Debra Jennings-Johnson has had an enormous national, as well as local, impact on minority and women’s business ownership and vendor development.
The WBDC is enormously grateful to include BP America and Debra among its supporters. Together they help to make our work possible.
For more information about BP America, please visit www.bp.com.
Women’s Business Development Center 2009 Technology Makeover
$35,000 in FREE Technology Available!
The WBDC is excited to announce our upcoming Small Business Technology Makeover program, held in partnership with Microsoft and Comcast. The WBDC will be launching a registration site where women business owners can apply to win more than $35,000 in FREE Technology to help their business grow.
The prize package will include:
• Server & Network Upgrade
• Website Design & Development
• Microsoft Small Business Server and 5 Copies of Microsoft Office
• 2 Months Free High Speed Internet, Email, Anti-Virus, Telephone, and Cable Service
• Microsoft Office Classroom Training for 5 People
• Microsoft SharePoint Portal
• Xerox Phaser Color Network Printer & Supplies
To be eligible to apply your company must have been in business for at least two years and be located within the State of Illinois. Applications will be judged on the strength of the business or marketing plan, the financial strength of the company and an explanation of how a Technology Makeover would increase the business’s productivity.
Look out for more details and a full registration site coming soon!
Erica King Honored by ACCION Chicago
WBDC Finance Specialist Receives 2009 Chicago Micro-Entrepreneur Advocate of the Year Award
The WBDC is pleased to announce that WBDC Finance Specialist, Erica King, was selected to receive the 2009 Chicago Micro-Entrepreneur Advocate of the Year award from ACCION Chicago.
On August 7, 2009, ACCION Chicago honored Erica and other top community partners at its 2009 Community Partner Appreciation Luncheon. Illinois Small Business Administration District Director, Judith Roussel, delivered the keynote address. ACCION Chicago is an alternative lending organization dedicated to providing credit and other business services to small business owners who do not have access to traditional sources of financing.
Erica King joined the WBDC in August 2008 as a Finance Specialist. With over nine years of commercial banking, business banking and real estate development, Erica is responsible for loan packaging, building and maintaining relationships with financial institutions, and assisting women business owners in their quest to access capital. Prior to joining the WBDC Erica was employed with Park National Bank, where she successfully managed a $30 million dollar business banking portfolio. Erica has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
