Updates from National

From the President and CEO

Just two weeks ago, members of NAWBO’s Board of Directors, Chairwoman Wendy Lopez and I had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. and provide perspective on the issues that face women entrepreneurs today. Our meetings included appointments at the White House with members of the current Administration as well as legislative leaders on Capitol Hill. Our message was the importance of procurement for women business owners and how to access topline stimulus funds and not incur debt.

Specifically, we met with Senator Mary Landreau, Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Olympia Snowe, Ranking Member Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez, Chairwoman House Small Business Committee, Tina Tchen, Director, White House Office of Public Engagement, Elizabeth Vale, Executive Director White House Business Council, Joanna Martin, Boards and Commissions Lead, Special Assistant to the President; Valerie Green, Energy and Environment Lead, Special Assistant to the President; and U. S. Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, Administrator.

Meetings like this are incredibly important to the success of women business owners and at NAWBO that is our top priority. We’ll only continue to grow our voice through events like our Women’s Business Conference in the next few weeks. Don’t miss your chance to experience the Power of ONE.

Helen Han
NAWBO President and CEO

WBC 2010—Sponsorships and Social Networking

The Women's Business Conference (WBC) is right around the corner and promises to be our best one ever with powerful women organizations, speakers and attendees coming together to experience the power of ONE woman, ONE business and ONE collective voice in making a difference for women entrepreneurs around the world, plus celebrate NAWBO's 35-year history of amazing women.

Earlier this month, your chapter received a package—addressed to your chapter president—with copies of our 2010 WBC brochure. Please help us to spread the word to your members and friends in the women-owned business community, and especially to potential sponsors and exhibitors. Each of our conference sponsors has the power to make a profound impact in propelling women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power. At the same time, they will be building their brand with this fiercely loyal sector of the business population. In fact, 67.5% of the survey respondent from last year's WBC agreed that they are "more likely to do business with a corporation because they sponsored or exhibited at the conference."

In addition to the print brochures, consider helping us spread the word through our viral marketing campaign. If you are on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, don't hesitate to talk about the WBC. And if you aren't registered, consider signing up today for exclusive news and updates. We have set up a hashcode (#nawbowbc) to allow people to follow us and post on the topic before, during and after this year's conference.

Together, let's make this year's WBC the best it can be!

Don’t let another opportunity pass you by!

 At NAWBO National, we’re often approached by:

• Media for interview opportunities
• Federal agencies for procurement opportunities
• Sponsors for savings and promotional opportunities
• And more

The challenge is if we don’t have all of your information, we won’t be able to connect you with these valuable opportunities that can help Power Your Dream both now and in years to come.

That’s why we’re asking that you take a moment to do something simple: Update your contact information and personal, business and NAWBO demographics through the NAWBO National website so that we can easily identify and reach out to you for all appropriate opportunities. Click here to Maintain Your Profile. Then click here to Maintain Your Demographic Information.

NAWBO Members Recognized as Influential Women of Virginia

For the last few years, Virginia Lawyers Media has honored a class of “Influential Women of Virginia.” These women are recognized for their outstanding efforts in law, business, health care, education and the arts.

Among the 2010 honorees were several NAWBO members, including:

• Kristina Bouweiri, Reston Limousine & Travel Service Inc., Dulles
• Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, CG2 Consulting, Richmond
• Stephanie E. Grana, Cantor, Stoneburner, Ford, Grana & Buckner PC, Richmond
• Dorothy Leach Wood, J D & W Inc., Virginia Beach

All honorees will be celebrated at a luncheon on May 20 and profiled in a special publication. Congratulations to our NAWBO members.

Valerie Jarrett to Speak at NAWBO’s Womens Business Conference

Jarrett is Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. Prior to her current position, she served as Co-Chair of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, and Senior Advisor to Obama's presidential campaign. Jarrett became the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company on January 31, 2007. She had served as Executive Vice President of Habitat for 12 years. Prior to that, Jarrett served for eight years in Chicago government as Deputy Corporation Counsel for Finance and Development, Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley, and Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development. Before her city government service, Jarrett practiced law with two private law firms. Among other things, she has also served as a Director of corporate and not for profit boards, as well as Chairman of the Chicago Transit Board.

NAWBO-Central Iowa members Winning Awards

Cherish Anderson, Nanny2Shoes, LLC – Des Moines, IA
Iowa Women in Business Champion of the Year – SBA

As the owner of Nanny2Shoes, a business that matches families with full-time, part-time, temporary and occasional nannies, Cherish Anderson understands the challenges that face women-owned small business. She started the business in 2003 and in 2004 Cherish joined the National Association of Women Business Owners – Central Iowa Chapter (NAWBO-CI) as a way to not only help her business, but to help other women-owned businesses as well. In 2007 as a member of the chapter’s program committee, she sought opportunities for NAWBO involvement in Entrepreneurship Week 2008. When no opportunities to partner with existing events appeared, Cherish set up some small networking opportunities for women business owners in Des Moines. In 2009 Cherish was the driving force behind NAWBO-CI hosting its own daylong event in 2009, the Women Mean Business Summit. There were 100 attendees at the Summit (three times the chapter’s membership) and chapter membership grew by 42 percent within two months of the event. Its success helped increase the visibility of NAWBO-CI and of women businesses ownership in Iowa. In addition to co-chairing the 2010 Women Mean Business Summit, schedule for May 26, 2010, Cherish is also president of  NAWBO-CI.

Cherish was nominated for this award by NAWBO-CI.

Kimberly Baeth, Golden Openings, Inc.
Jim Goodman Entrepreneur Spirit Award from East Des Moines Chamber of Commerce

This 2010 award recognizes the person who exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit exhibited by former Chamber President Jim Goodman, who passed away during the swim portion of the 2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines. Kimberly was recognized for using her entrepreneurial and spirit in business and to improve the community through volunteerism and leadership, as well as for balancing personal and professional responsibilities. Kimberly founded her company in 1997 and designed and produced the first pair of oversized ceremonial scissors. Golden Openings is a one-stop shop for supplies and services utilized in grand openings, ribbon cuttings, ground breakings and key-to-the-city events. Now more than10,000 worldwide business customers purchase from her annually, and her clients include Fortune 500 companies, the White House, Oprah and Disney.

Kimberly, who serves on the board of NAWBO-Central Iowa, also received two other recent honors. In late October she was awarded the 2009 Greater Des Moines Partnership Best Kept Secret Award (for businesses under 50 employees) and in March was named to the Des Moines Business Records’s 2010 class of 40 Under 40. That program recognizes the potential and accomplishments of the area’s young business, political and civic leaders.