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6 On the cover
college enrollment through comprehensive programming
and leadership development.
And then my journey of community impact led me to
WBEA, where I assumed the role of director of the organization
’s locally focused Women’s Business Center.
There, we launched a federal women’s business center
co-funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration in
support of more than 500 small business owners and
entrepreneurs. After about 18 months, I was promoted
to the role of president.
Overall, I have managed a total of $8 million in annual
budget dollars and raised more than $3.5 million in
grant funding, providing service and impact across Texas
. My team is amazing, we have amazing partners, and
this is what I am called to do: serve with impact. I give it
my all, because in life, what you put in is what you get
out of it and I’m going for maximum impact.
Q: What have been the most successful initiatives
that WBEA has developed during its 25 years?
A: Our success is largely due to the engagement and
commitment of corporations dedicated to enhancing
their supply chain with qualified and certified woman-owned
businesses. Woman-owned companies have
a strong capacity for innovation, collaboration and results-oriented
solutions. Certified WBEs are at the cornerstone
of why we do what we do at WBE and what we
do best: certification and collaborative programming.
At the core of WBEA are our business development
programs and procurement events designed to enhance
capacity and facilitate procurement opportunities
for certified entities, in addition to our WBEA Women
’s Business Center that provides technical support,
business consultations and access to funding for new
and existing businesses.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of your
work at WBEA?
A: My favorite part of the WBEA is seeing the connections
and collaborations occurring between the certified
women-owned business. This a group that works
in support of each other. This is a grand network and
we have seen the impact as the membership provides
opportunity to inspire, connect, mentor, empower and
engage in business with each other. We are not bound
by corporate procurement opportunities as WBE-to-
WBE procurement and connection creates another layer
of intentional engagement.
Over the last several months, I have learned this network
is powerfully committed to community and innovation
. Working with seasoned WBEs and our corporate
members, we were able to quickly move to a fully
digital organization and provide virtual programming
to ensure businesses were connected and received services
designed to assist with recovery. We saw the business
community pivot in response to the pandemic and
restructure products and services that addressed shortages
in personal protection equipment, in addition to
technology integration and funding assistance.
Q: How have you seen WBEA grow and change over
your time with the organization?
A: We have moved from solely a third-party WBENC
certifying agency for Women-owned Business Enterprises
and Women-Owned Small Businesses, to a comprehensive
business development agency providing technical
training, business startup and growth programs,
business consultations, and access to capital assistance
in support of the small business community within our
94 territories. We are seeing an increase in business development
support for women in business.
We have recognized that women entrepreneurs face
more obstacles than male entrepreneurs when launching
and growing their businesses. While securing business
certifications is part of the solution to ensuring
women-owned businesses are at the table, reducing
barriers that stall their success helps to increase innovation
and economic prosperity while creating jobs. With
the inclusion of our Women’s Business Center, we provide
training and consulting, business development,
and access to funding for over 1,000 entrepreneurs annually
. We are intentional about serving and increasing
opportunities for women-owned businesses by focusing
on what we do best: certification and comprehensive
programs.
Q: How has the business space in Texas changed for
women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs?
A: Texas is open for business. Despite the downturn
in oil and gas and recovery from disasters, Texas has two
major cities — one being in the WBEA service area —
that rank within America’s top 10 in economic clout. So,
the space is one of growth and opportunity. While there
is opportunity, the landscape has definitely changed.
Women-owned businesses are viewed as a source for
adaptive technologies, innovation, responsiveness and
technology integration. There is an opportunity for entrepreneurs
to diversify service delivery to include the
hospitality,government and healthcare industries.
Q: What are your ambitions for WBEA’snext 25 years?
A: My hope for the WBEA over the next 25 years is
to see a higher level of engagement and integration for
certified women-owned companies in the professional
services sector, stronger WBE second-tier procurement
requirements and accountability, increasing funding
and access to capital for startups and growth, and to
break the barriers to women of color getting certified.
We are currently working with corporations to increase
access to corporate pipelines while providing capacity development
to thrive, partnering with local banking institutions
on access to capital, and collaborating across the
network on several women of color initiatives.
Our success
is largely
due to the
engagement
and
commitment
of corporations
dedicated to
enhancing
their supply
chain with
qualified
and certified
womanowned
businesses.
Womanowned
companies
have a strong
capacity for
innovation,
collaboration
and resultsoriented
solutions.
— April Day
40
Vol. 3, 2020
wetexas.biz
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