____What
keeps our businesses from making the money
that we need to survive? This was one
of the many questions a diverse group
of African American women business owners
gathered to answer on December 9, 2004
during brunch held at the Centre Club
atop the Urban Centre One/Wyndham Hotel
on Westshore. The Black Women Business
Owners, Executives & Entrepreneurs
(BWBOEE) is a newly established organization
committed to strengthening black women
business ownership and the economic opportunities
presented to them.
____Janet
Brooks, founding member of BWBOEE, wants
to bring black women business owners and
executives to the forefront so that corporate
and governmental decision-makers will
recognize these black women as business
experts with invaluable resources, information
and contacts. “Our organization
will focus on the essential opportunities
for black women business owners to enhance
the profitability of our businesses by
building relationships with corporate
firms, governmental agencies and each
other.” said Ms. Brooks.
____Representatives
of government agencies reiterated the
need to seek exposure opportunities in
order to benefit from government contracts.
Spencer Albert, manager of the Hillsborough
County Minority/Small Business Enterprise
Program, and Harry McCoy of the Minority/Small
Business Enterprise program made commitments
to support the organization as eager and
interested group gathered at the brunch.
They provided information on how and why
it is vital for black women business owners
to take advantage of the opportunities
to participate in the County's procurement
programs.
____Michael
Garner, the director of the Minority Business
Procurement program for Polk County stated
that it is his offices responsibility
to ensure fair and feasible business opportunities
for minorities, but that minority businesses
must apply to become vendors with their
program. Likewise, Theresa D. Jones, the
Community Affairs Director for the City
of St. Petersburg, supported his statement.
As a principal representative for the
City of St. Petersburg’s National
Minority Supplier Development Council,
and a member of the Florida Association
of Minority Business Enterprise Officials,
Mrs. Jones urged the audience to take
advantage of the experiences of others
and ‘the expertise in the room to
position your business for success.’
____This
brunch also presented a unique opportunity
for several black women owned businesses
to receive first hand information about
ongoing opportunities. Karin Davis-Thompson,
SBE director for the Tampa Port Authority
advised the business owners present of
the Port Authority’s current and
impending vendor needs. Additionally,
Mrs. Davis-Thompson gave some tips to
the business owners as to how to complete
forms and what data is necessary to become
an eligible vendor with her agency.
____Some
of the most exciting news of the day came
when the brunch participants received
vital information regarding corporate
opportunities from Frank Cardinal, President/CEO
of Aviation Constructors, Inc. (ACI) Mr.
Cardinal and Dean Banks, the Territorial
General Manager for ACI, spoke of the
positive ongoing relationships their company
has with the black women contractors and
even announced to one of the brunch participants,
Ms. Deborah Thompson, from Jacksonville,
Florida, of ACI’s intent to extend
a sizeable contract to her organization.
____“ACI
has and will continue to actively seek
to include black women business owners
as viable contractors and business partners,”
said Dean Banks.
____Those
in attendance for this inaugural setting
represented various businesses and corporate
interests from all over the state of Florida:
West Palm Beach, Jacksonville and Orlando.
The businesses represented by the attendees
included advertising/marketing, fundraising
and event planning offered by such as
Carolyn Lighty of Collateral Marketing
Concepts and Shaniqua Moultrie of A Planned
Affair; concrete and foundation construction
offered by Lyndell Mims, owner of Mims
Construction in Orlando, as well as Yolanda
Y. Anthony, licensed mortgage broker for
Apex Lending, and owner of Trash Express
of Tampa Bay.
____Ms.
Brooks points out that the gathering of
such dynamic black business women raised
as many questions as it answered, but
provided a unique opportunity for multiple
successful business connections. “This
will not just be another social club or
women’s group. Our focus, our goal
and our purpose is to help black women
business owners, executive and entrepreneurs
realize their value by exposing them to
corporations and governmental agencies
for true business opportunities.”
____For
more information about Black Women Business
Owners Executives & Entrepreneurs,
please call 1-800-382-0891 or send an
email to:
BWBOEE@yahoo.com.
A. Judge,
2003
Tampa, FL
© All rights reserved. No partial
or full reproduction of this article
or its contents is permitted without the
expressed written consent of
the owner, Angela Judge.
A. Judge, 2003
Tampa, FL |
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