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Click here to find out more about our 25th Anniversary celebration throughout the year.
Celebrating the Women’s Business Council – Southwest 25th anniversary is a major milestone for us and for the impact of Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) on our entire economy and business landscape. We intend to celebrate in style throughout 2020!
In the quarter century that WBCS has been in operation, we have experienced major growth for ourselves and for all women business owners. Our organization started with only 16 corporate members and a handful of WBEs in the north Texas Area, but we now boast a membership of over 1200 WBEs and 80 Sustaining (Corporate) members in our four-state region of north and central Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. In addition, our WBEs boast a combined annual revenue of over $10 Billion! On a national level, WBCS was one of the original founders of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) shortly after our own formation, and remain a proud Regional Partner Organization to WBENC today. WBENC-certified WBEs total more than 15,000 throughout the nation, and thousands of major corporations, government entities, and other companies now accept WBENC certification as part of their supplier diversity initiatives.
Together with WBENC we have raised the profile of WBEs in the business world, and have provided invaluable guidance, connections, and education to spur their innovation, competitive value, and overall impact on the way that business is done in the 21st century. Today corporations understand more completely than at any other time in our history the importance of the inclusion of women-owned businesses in their supply chains. They have seen the evidence in terms of competitiveness, innovation, and customer loyalty that doing business with WBEs means to their success. I’ve been privileged to witness the growth of the network of women business owners – how they nurture, promote, give back, and buy and sell to one another. This commitment to quality, to making a difference, and to success on their terms – this is what has kept me challenged and inspired for 25 years.
Today corporations understand more completely than at any other time in our history the importance of the inclusion of women-owned businesses in their supply chains. They have seen the evidence in terms of competitiveness, innovation, and customer loyalty that doing business with WBEs means to their success.
I know that women still face major challenges to starting, funding, and growing a business compared to majority male-owned companies. Our job here at WBCS is to remain strongly committed to addressing those challenges in new and evolving ways. But I expect our successes to continue to mount, and I am completely optimistic about the future of women in business in America. In this new decade, I fully expect that we will make great strides in the number of women in the boardrooms and executive suites of our major corporations, as well as in the supply chain; this will have exponential impact on the number and opportunities for all WBEs. Because that’s what women do, here at WBCS and in their own businesses – learn from one another and give back as they soar.
Come help us celebrate our 25th anniversary through our website and blog posts and join us at our events. A new decade and a new promise; take advantage of the opportunities!
