In 2026, WBENC proudly continues its tradition of honoring exceptional women business owners through the WBE Star Award. Selected by their Regional Partner Organizations, the 14 WBE Stars exemplify this year’s theme of IMPACT, demonstrating meaningful influence across their businesses, communities, and industries through leadership, excellence, and service.
Throughout the year, the 2026 WBE Stars will be featured on the WBENC website, culminating in their celebration at the 2026 WBENC National Conference, June 15–18, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where thousands will gather to do business and honor the strength and impact of the WBENC Network.
Meet K. Zulene Adams, CEO and Co-Founder of Z Promotions, with the Women’s Business Enterprise Council Ohio River Valley Regional Partner Organization. Zulene has a passion for helping brands get noticed and become memorable through creative branded products and corporate apparel. Her purpose and philosophy come from a deep desire to understand clients, including their mission, vision, and values. This approach has allowed Zulene to build a reputable client base that views her organization as an extension of their own marketing teams. Zulene leads from a place of deep integrity, valuing kindness, transparency, continuous learning, involvement, and fun. She is fascinated by learning more about others and increasing her own formal knowledge base through development, workshops, mentorship and extensive reading.
Zulene values giving back, volunteering her time with a number of local organizations and mentoring other business owners. She builds with intention, investing in her team’s continued growth and learning. Her ability to balance creativity, leadership, and generosity sets her apart and inspires those around her.
Get inspired by Zulene’s insights!
Z Promotions is your creative branding partner. They are dedicated to providing high-quality creative branded products and apparel to enhance brand image. To achieve maximum branding impact, Z Promotions works with clients to tailor solutions to their marketing goals. Z Promotions has 20+ years of proven excellence, with competitive pricing, first-rate decorating capabilities, direct global sourcing, and proprietary research tools and technology.
Wisdom from WBE Star, K. Zulene Adams
What suggestions would you like to share with business leaders looking to expand their IMPACT?
Weave your desire to drive IMPACT through your own company’s Purpose, Values, Vision, etc. and identify what results you envision to yield. Align this with your team and who you do business with in order to build a strong infrastructure to support and deliver the IMPACT.
For business owners and leaders who are looking to accelerate their “IMPACT,” what key advice or actionable steps would you recommend for them to implement today?
GET INVOLVED. This is one of our values at Z Promotions, and we know that IMPACT can’t be made unless individuals engage. You may not be able to provide deep funding or extensive time in service, however you can begin with small measures by targeting aligned programs, events, committees, initiatives, etc. and just provide your skills and expertise through mentorship, in-kind donations of products and/or service or whatever service hours you have available.
What impact are you most proud of, and why?
Our company culture is one source of pride. We hire those that are aligned with who we are and what we are about. This has resulted in engaged and loyal team members that have navigated the journey with us. Our employee turnover rate within the last 3 years is 0% and our client attrition is less than 5%. Any reduction in individual client revenue is typically attributed to changes within their company budget or catastrophic events (such as the pandemic) that were unpredictable and not able to be calculated into projections.
During the pandemic, we were able to retain 100% of our team and maintain their benefits, as we remained agile and cunning. We experienced an 80% reduction in revenue March of 2020 and for many months after, however we were able to not only survive but thrive due to our collective efforts in transparency (another one of our values), development in our writing skills to secure grants and other funding, plus effective research skills and the willingness to leverage our network to tap into resources such as the Ohio Shared Work Program. We also utilized the government loans that were available to not just use for operating expenses, however we invested a considerable amount of the funds in order to generate revenue. We not only exercised all of this to our advantage, but we actively shared the information with other businesses we encountered.
Due to our adaptability and willingness to share in our vulnerabilities and achievements, we have been able to contribute to our economy by providing secure employment opportunities that directly influence our government by improving our workforce in skill and stability that improves their tax base and communities in a positive way. Security and stability have proven to be factors in influencing mental health and not only professional but personal relationships as well.
We strive to make a positive IMPACT both big and small that will reverberate throughout our local and global environments.
What key lessons have you learned from mentors and peers as a business owner?
Development never ends. Always seek out new information, mentors, innovation and opportunities. It is essential to be adaptable to various thoughts and inspiration.
Looking ahead, what legacy of impact do you hope to leave in the business community?
We hope to leave a lasting IMPACT of collaboration, coalition and mentorship. We recognize that we would not be where we are today without the foundational advisement and continued support from our mentors, sponsors, team, family, clients and community. All of the knowledge, expertise and development that we curated is actively being shared with others in hopes of a ripple effect that will improve the lives, communities and businesses of others.
