[ February 2010 ]

A Message from Linda Denny
Photo courtesy of Women's Enterprise Publications and WE Magazine

It's here! 2010 is the year in which WBENC will achieve a long-awaited milestone —10,000 certified women's business enterprises (WBEs). The hard work of thousands, including our 14 outstanding Regional Partner Organizations, Corporate Members, Board, and Staff have made the WBENC Certified Women's Business Enterprise a designation valued by women business owners for opening the doors of opportunity to corporate contracts AND to doing business with each other. Because the benefits are significant, WBEs frequently describe the WBENC certification as their "opportunity connection," which is our theme for 2010.

In 2010, as the green shoots emerge in our national economy, WBENC will focus on the future and creating ways to help make The Opportunity Connection. Here are just a few:

• WBENC's new website will have new Opportunity Connection features. Its sharp, clean design allows easy navigation to sections such as "RFP-Q-I" (part of Phase 2), where corporations, WBEs and others can post requirements for upcoming contract opportunities (you will need your WBENCLink password to access). A video feature will allow WBEs and Corporate Members alike to present a message about their company's strengths and capabilities, viewable by every visitor. Today's Phase 1 launch of www.wbenc.org provides a number of features to support you and your business needs. Phase 2 will launch in early March to round out a full array of features. We invite you to explore the different sections and features of WBENC's new website.

The Opportunity Connection is the theme for two of WBENC's 2010 major events:

• Summit & Salute March 24-25 at the Gaylord National Resort, National Harbor, MD, in the Metro Washington, DC area. A major business opportunity, with approximately 1,000 attendees who are senior corporate executives and key procurement representatives, leaders of government, community and national business organizations, our Regional Partner Organizations, as well as other WBEs. All the people you want to meet and know!
  
  
  • Featuring a much expanded educational format, the Summit will kick off with speaker Edie Weiner, a professional futurist, who will also moderate a panel of top corporate officers as they discuss future industry trends. General sessions and workshops for WBEs and corporate attendees complete the program.
     
  • During our Thursday evening Salute to Women's Business Enterprises, brought to you by Presenting Sponsor Accenture, we honor the 14 2010 Women's Business Enterprise Stars and recognize our 21 corporations that earned the designation as one of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises. To add to the fun, a live auction will be held featuring Power Lunch opportunities with the CPOs of some of America's largest corporations as well as other fabulous items.

• Baltimore's beautiful Inner Harbor is the site for our 2010 Women In Business National Conference and Business Fair, which is not to be missed. Co-chairs Johnson & Johnson (Corporate) and Omega World Travel (WBE) join us in inviting you to print up plenty of business cards, do your homework, and come prepared to take advantage of numerous select from hundreds of opportunities to meet and present your business to prospective customers. MatchMakers, great speakers, and dynamic workshops, sprinkled with networking and fun add the finishing touches to this Opportunity Connection. Watch for the conference brochure in the mail, mark June 22-24 on your calendar now, and register today at www.wbenc.org/wib2010.

• MatchMaker365 is now available to Corporate Members and WBENC Certified WBEs. This online electronic system will not only allow corporate procurement and supplier diversity professionals to find you using WBENCLink, but also helps schedule introductory meetings as you go through the first steps of the procurement process. WBEs should check and be sure that their company's profile in WBENCLink lists the key words and phrases that would be used in a "Google type" search to find your business. Call the Program Manager of your Regional Partner Organization if you need to make changes.

• The entire WBENC organization welcomes Pamela Prince-Eason, Pfizer Vice President, Worldwide Procurement, as the Chair of the Board of Directors. Pam most recently served WBENC as Treasurer, Chair of the Finance Committee, and as a member of the Executive Committee. Read about her vision for WBENC in this report. She is truly focused on helping us deliver on the core values of our strategic plan — Certification, Opportunities and Resources.

These are just a few of the great Opportunity Connections that WBENC has planned for you in 2010. I know it's going to be an exciting year for us all!

Message from the Chair

It is with great honor, a committed sense of responsibility, and much enthusiasm that I begin my tenure as Chair of the WBENC Board of Directors.

Honor because I follow in the impressive footsteps of our professional and strategic former WBENC Board Chair, Cheryl Stevens, and because I will be serving all of you ˗̶˗̶ the corporations, women's business enterprises, Regional Partner Organizations and WBENC Staff who help us advance opportunities for women's business enterprises to do business with corporations every day;

Responsibility for upholding and delivering on the WBENC mission and the "COR" values - Certification, Opportunities and Resources - that we all hold dear;

And Enthusiasm for the chance to continue my commitment to leadership development. I am particularly excited to embark on this work with our newly elected Executive Committee (see sidebar for the 2010 Board of Directors).

In fact, there isn't a better time to focus on leadership development among our constituents. As a major initiative of The Opportunity Connection in 2010, WBENC is cranking up its emphasis on education as we encourage higher levels of excellence and sophistication among our world class corporations and innovative Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs). Our Summit & Salute to Women Business Enterprises, held on March 24-25 in Washington, DC, will offer a wealth of stimulating, business-building ideas. I highly encourage you to attend.

Also, you should expect education amidst the tremendous connection opportunities at the 2010 Women in Business National Conference and Business Fair (WIB2010) in Baltimore, Maryland, from June 22-24. WIB2010 is where WBENC brings corporations and WBEs together to ignite and develop business. In advance of WIB2010, certified WBEs, with full registration for WIB2010 can apply to show their interest and availability for a MatchMaker Meeting. Corporate Members then select from the list of Certified WBEs to schedule face-to-face appointments to discuss a targeted opportunity.

While we will all carefully watch the economy in 2010, there is no doubt that WBENC, through The Opportunity Connection, will be a key part of providing Corporate Members the opportunity to fuel economic recovery with women-owned businesses, and the collaboration of our Corporate Members, WBEs, and RPOs will be unbeatable in ensuring success.

At the heart of our work are our COR values:

Certification: WBENC certification of a supplier gives corporate procurement professionals a feeling of confidence that the business ownership, operation and control of certified suppliers have been reviewed. For example, Pfizer searches for important partners such as WBENC to provide this certification service so that we have access to a population of diverse suppliers who can assist us in our Supplier Diversity Mission and to achieve a future supply base that is representative of the customers we serve.

Opportunity: WBENC is an important organization that helps Corporations raise awareness of business opportunities to a significant segment of the economy. Supply Management Professionals play a key role in corporations, helping the corporation serve its many stakeholders. It is extremely important that we constantly search for additional avenues of innovation and follow supply management best practices that not only reduce costs to our business, but provide long run, best value to sustain and grow that business. WBENC provides access to women's business enterprises that assist Corporations in meeting these sometimes conflicting goals that are so important to our businesses. As Corporations work to minimize overall supply bases, companies such as Pfizer find that discussing subjects such as "supply base minimization" in WBENC forums helps to forge "win-win" solutions that work for our business and harness the profitable capabilities of diverse certified businesses.

Resources: WBENC and its 14 Regional Partner organizations create a national network of resources that tap into the best thoughts and practices of leading corporations, government organizations, women-owned businesses and experts on various topics. The quality of education and training available to all members is well recognized and continues to reach new levels of effectiveness. Having this network available as a corporation is important, both for Corporations to access, but also provides additional credibility to WBENC's role as a leader in developing women-owned businesses.
I look forward to upholding these COR Values for all our constituents as Board Chair. In addition, I look forward to turning my immediate attention to quickly transitioning our structure to increase our sustainability, growth, and continued development of a strong network at WBENC – including Corporate and WBE involvement, collaboration with Regional Partner Organizations, and continued involvement of WBENC Staff in the strategies and implementations that allows WBENC to meet the needs of its various constituents.

Thank you for your support and confidence, and I look forward to working with all of you!

Warm regards,

Pamela Prince-Eason, Chair
WBENC Board of Directors and
Vice President, Pfizer Worldwide Procurement

Back to top

WBENC Launches its New Web Site

"I just got a look at the new website," said Lynn Quinn, WBENC Chief Operating Officer. "WOW! It's beautiful. I can see the potential. Thank you for bringing WBENC into the 21st century. Great job!"

Yes, WBENC is now multimedia savvy with the launch of its new interactive website. Designed to serve as a tool to support WBENC constituents and to provide information to corporations and business owners worldwide, WBENC has not only changed the look of its website, but also has significantly improved the site's functionality and expanded its capabilities. In addition, the content categories have been reformatted to align with the core values from our strategic plan: Certification, Opportunities, and Resources.

"It is very exciting to have a new web site," shared Miranda Berman, Development Manager, Berner International Corp. "This site is really nice looking. There is a navigation learning issue in the language change from ‘Events' to ‘Opportunities,' but that is only because I was used to the old site. I think ‘Opportunities' is more action oriented and a more positive word - I like it!"

The items in the green navigation bar located on the top right of the page is WBENC's traditional online brochure that is chock full with all the information you want to know about WBENC, Certification, Corporate Membership, Certification, Opportunities, Resources, and Recognition. The new category entitled, "Opportunities," has been added to replace the former categories entitled, "Programs" and "Events."

New Features. A new feature under the "Opportunities" category and pending a Phase 2 launch in or before March 2010 is RFP-Q-I … an abbreviation of Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Quotes (RFQ), and Request for Information (RFI).

RFP-Q-I. The new RFP-Q-I section provides basic bid posting and viewing abilities, which is access-restricted. Only WBENC Tier 1 Constituents – WBENC Corporate Members, WBENC Certified WBEs, Regional Partner Organization Staff, and WBENC Staff – can upload, access, and view the postings. All Tier 1 Constituents can post business opportunities. In addition, WBENC Certified WBEs are also encouraged to use RFP-Q-I to issue Requests for Business Alliances. Requests for Business Alliances (RFBA) help WBENC Certified WBEs to identify other WBENC Certified WBEs with the capacity to partner on a joint bid or business initiative.

Strategic Partners [e.g. Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC)], can submit a RFP, RFQ, or RFI for posting by contacting your WBENC Staff liaison. . We don't want our WBEs to miss out on many good opportunities!

WBE Power Profile and Corporate Spotlight. "WBENC has also provided several methods for Corporate Members and WBENC Certified WBEs to promote their companies or professional expertise on the new web site," said Cristy McCullough, Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications, and Brand Management. First, WBENC offers the WBE Power Profile and Corporate Spotlight. Both are accessible through WBENC's new Video News department located to the right side of page and also under WBENC News, the first tab located on the horizontal black navigation bar. Corporate Members and WBENC Certified WBEs can produce and submit a professional quality video to appear in this prime spot on WBENC's homepage. Of course, there are content restrictions, and there is a reasonable web time fee. However, our site generates over 1.5 million hits per week, and all videos are viewable by the general public as well as WBENC's Tier 1 Constituents, so the investment is well worth the exposure.

Special Offer – WBE Power Profile. A special package is being offered to WBENC Certified WBEs attending the Summit & Salute at the Gaylord National Resort on March 24-25. WBEs will be able to schedule a video session to produce their very own WBE Power Profile to include a makeup session, a 15-minute coaching session, and use of a teleprompter. Click here for more information.

Department Sponsorships. Department Sponsorships with the Company name listed on the home page are also available. Pricing information will be announced in the Phase 2 launch in March 2010.

Ask the Expert. Another new feature that serves as a Resource and a promotional tool is the "Ask the Expert" section located under Resources and Connect. "Ask the Expert" typically features a weekly rotation of three to five WBENC Certified WBEs, Corporate Members, and WBENC or RPO Staff. Each Expert submits their photo and an article on a suggested topic, and the articles are posted at the beginning of the week. As an Expert, the author answers selected questions received from readers during the week the article appears. Look under the Connect tab to view our first Experts and to learn how you can become an Expert too.

Of course, these are just a few key offerings. We invite you to explore our new website and look for new offerings to be introduced in 2Q2010 and in 2011. Don't forget to go to our poll on the right side of the page to let us know what you like best about our new website. Download to learn more about features and capabilities of WBENC's new website.

Back to top

MatchMaker365 to Launch on February 11, 2010


The official launch of MatchMaker365 will take place on Thursday, February 11, 2010. MatchMaker365 is a bold move and different approach to procurement, which helps make a positive impact to a corporation's bottom line, while at the same time, offering process and cost efficiencies to corporate procurement and supplier diversity efforts.

MatchMaker365 is a great opportunity for WBENC Certified WBEs to be sure they are in the pipeline for potential business opportunities with national Corporate Members. Participating WBENC Certified WBEs are invited to participate in active bids after Corporate Members review their profiles and determine whether the WBE has the ability and capacity to meet their needs.

(Click here for the most up-to-date information about MatchMaker365.)
 

Edie Weiner, Professional Futurist and Partner, Weiner, Goodrich and Brown

• Positioning Your Company for Government Contracting
• Executive Procurement Panel: Balancing Supplier Diversity while Maximizing the Supply Base Objective
• Compelling Business Models that Differentiate Women's Business, Enterprises.
• Procurement Professional Training: Enabling Agility
• How to Get the Big Three: Innovation, Capacity Building, and Return on Investment

Call for Auction Items

The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Women in Business: The Opportunity Connection Auction Committee are pleased to announce the 2010 Auction Events.

The Live Auction will be held during the Summit & Salute to Women's Business Enterprises on March 25, 2010 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland. The Silent Auction will be held on June 22, 2010, at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel during the Women in Business National Conference and Business Fair.

$150,000 Goal. You are invited to help WBENC and the 2010 Auction Committee achieve its 2010 Auction goal of $150,000 and make these very special events a success. Donations that generate excitement, great interest, and great bids are being sought. Donations could include the following:

Click here to download and review instructions to submit your donation. Any donation will be greatly appreciated – there is no minimum.

Your donation, to either Auction, guarantees national exposure reaching thousands of businesses and may be tax deductible. In addition, your early and generous commitment helps WBENC build excitement in support of both Auctions, and offers another outstanding reason to attend the 2010 WBENC Summit & Salute to Women's Business Enterprises and the 2010 Women in Business National Conference and Business Fair. Proceeds from these events support the programs and services that are provided by WBENC and its 14 regional partner organizations.

With your support, WBENC and the 2010 Auction Committee are confident that we can achieve or exceed this goal for an organization important to us all. Together, we can make this year's auctions the best yet!

Terri McNally-Beals (WBE Auction Chair)
President
Global Capital Ltd.

Connie Magers (Corporate Auction Chair)
Supplier Diversity Manager
JCPenney's Corporation

Back to top   

RECOGNITION ROW

2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Call for Nominations



The 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® call for nominations is now underway! This is an excellent opportunity for you to nominate a deserving entrepreneur who is growing his or her company into a market leader. Nominate yourself or someone you know who is building the company of tomorrow--today; someone with the vision and drive to lead--no matter how much the economy fluctuates. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award is one of the premiere recognition awards for these dynamic, entrepreneurial business leaders and the only global program that annually identifies and assesses the best entrepreneurial talent in the world.

Past Entrepreneur Of The Year award winners include some of the most recognizable names in business today, including Michael Dell of Dell Inc.; Maxine Clark of Build-a-Bear Workshops; Herb Kohler of Kohler Co.; Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation; Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.; Matthew Szulik of Red Hat, Inc; Mary Ellen Sheets, of Two Men and a Truck/International, Inc.; and Jim McCann of 1-800-Flowers.com; to name a few. Many of these recipients won their awards prior to becoming household names. Entrepreneur Of The Year award winners also become members of the exclusive Winner's Network of prior year winners.

Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists and winners receive great publicity in and beyond their communities, which contributes to valuable network-building. Participating in the awards process gives entrepreneurs access to sponsors, judges and guests, many of whom may be seeking customers, alliances, M&A or other growth opportunities.

Nomination Information. Entrepreneur Of The Year candidates must be an owner or manager of a private or public company who is primarily responsible for the recent performance of the company and be an active member of top management. The nominee's company must be at least three years old.

More details on the program and the application form are available at www.ey.com/us/eoy. The deadline for nominations is March 19, 2010. For more information contact Betty Pilcher, National Program Manager, at +1 410 783 3850.

Part of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum. The national Entrepreneur Of The Year awards will be held in Palm Springs November 10-14, 2010, as part of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®. Visit www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum to learn more.

Back to top

 WPO Search for the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned or Women-Led Companies in North America Extended Till February 10th!

2010 marks the 3rd Annual Women's Presidents Organization search for the 50 Fastest™ women-owned/women-led companies in North America. Companies will be ranked according to revenue growth from 2005 to 2009. The Top 50 fastest-growing companies have the chance of being published online and in print!

To be eligible, companies must be…
• privately-owned
• women-owned/led
• must have generated $500,000 in annual revenue by the first week of 2005
• must have reached revenues of $2 million by year-end 2009

NEW EXTENDED DEADLINE: February 10, 2010
Application: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FastGrowth
Any questions can be emailed to fastgrowth@womenpresidentsorg.com. There is no charge to apply.

CERTIFICATION CORNER





WBE Password!
Before contacting the support desk for assistance with a password, please take the following step. Go to www.wbenclink.org and enter the complete email address of the female owner in the log in box and then click the "Forgot Password" link. If you receive a prompt that a new password will be emailed to you, it was a successful reset. If you do not, the user id entered is incorrect and you will need to email the legal name of your company to support@wbenc.org for the correct user id. Please note that the support desk can only assist you with the correct User ID.

Email address for auto emails from WBENCLink has changed!

Please update your safe sender list to include wbenclink@cvmsolutions.com so that auto generated emails regarding your certification are received.

WBENCLink Training for Corporate Members of WBENC —
2 p.m. ET, February 13, 2010

Please join other Corporate Members for a Microsoft Live Meeting/Training session on "How to Use the WBENCLink database" on Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

2:00 p.m. Eastern
1:00 p.m. Central
12:00 p.m. Mountain
11:00 a.m. Pacific






https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/wbenc/join?id=CORPTRAIN2010&role=attend&pw=Attend2010

Meeting ID:  Corp2010
Entry Code:  Attend2010
Phone Number:  1-877-923-6297
Pass Code:  9222170#

2010 Corporate Member WBENCLink Training Dates

March 10, 2010
April 14, 2010
May 12, 2010
April 9, 2010
July 14, 2010
August 11, 2010
September 8, 2010
October 13, 2010
November 10, 2010
December 8, 2010

For information regarding training, please contact Susan Cates at 202-872-5515 X 8100.

New for 2010! WBENCLink Database Training for Certified WBEs

WBENCLink Database Training for Certified WBEs will be offered every Thursday in 2010. Exceptions are March 25th, June 24th and nationally recognized holidays that fall on a Thursday.

Each class is limited to the first 50 people who log in to the session. Therefore, it is not necessary to register for this training. Note: If you choose to log in early to reserve your spot, you may do so. However, please do not phone in to the session until the class is due to begin as WBENC will be charged for this time.

Each session will begin at:
2:00 p.m. Eastern
1:00 p.m. Central
12:00 p.m. Mountain
11:00 a.m. Pacific

https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/wbenc/join
?id=WBETrain2010&role=attend&pw=Attend2010

Meeting ID:  WBETrain2010
Entry Code:  Attend2010
Phone Number:  1-877-923-6297
Pass Code:  9222170#

Topics include:

• Updating your company's profile.
• Adding users to your profile.
• Changing your password.
• Searching for certified WBEs.
• Searching for Corporate Members.
• Downloading your certificate.
• WBENC Seal/Logo.
• Recertification Process.
• Appropriate use of database data.

Courtesy Reminders:

• Please be logged into Microsoft Live Meeting prior to calling into the session as technical assistance will not be provided during the training session.
• Please do not place the call on hold for any reason as it can cause a major disruption.
• Please use your mute button or *6 so that background noise or side conversations are not heard.
• Please dial in prior to the session start time.
• Please hold your questions until the presenter asks if there are any questions.

For information regarding training, please contact Susan Cates at 202-872-5515 X 8100.

Back to top