JAN. & FEB. 2008

Feb. 2, 2008, I celebrated my ten year anniversary with the WBEA. I reflected on the many changes within our organization since 1998. We had about 230 members and had just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Women’s Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC). During that year, we had left the NWBOC and joined WBENC as one of their partner organizations, hosted our very first Expo, and had 300 people in attendance at the awards dinner. We now have over 630 members and we are expecting over 1000 people to attend the May Expo luncheon. I wondered what I would say to the 1998 Board of Directors if I had a few minutes. The answer – Thank You. The day I joined the Houston Women’s Business Council changed me. Every day that I interact with our WBEs and our corporate partners is a lesson on leadership, endurance, and strength. I have learned in my tenure with the WBEA that the WBEs supporting our organization with their time are the WBEs that get the most out of the organization, whether it is business, mentoring, or friendships. Make 2008 the year that you commit to joining us at events and joining a committee. 2007 was a great year. The attendance at all of our events increased and those members that participated in committees helped to make it a year to remember. With 2008 already here, you can expect it to be even more exciting. The January luncheon, with our panel of WBEs and Committee Round Up, started the year with record breaking attendance and motivation. If you did not get a chance to sign up for a committee, email me and I will send you the committee list. The events over the next six months are already scheduled, and for many, registration is already in progress. Sign-up for: the February San Antonio Expo, the March 13th "Ask the Pros", the April 3-5th UTCMBA Program, and don’t forget to sign up early for Expo. Get Active! Get Known! Get Business! Emails were sent regarding the WBEA Expo Award Nominations. If you need this re-sent, contact the WBEA office. WBEs make sure that you are nominating your corporate clients and buyers. Corporate members look at WBE suppliers and nominate those that have gone above and beyond to help your corporate cut cost and improve service. WBEA’s Education Committee and Chevron continue their monthly educational programs. This is a great and inexpensive way for our WBEs and their staff to get great training. The Education Committee, along with our Corporate Sponsors will host the annual UTCMBA program on April 3-5th. This is a three day class taught by University of Texas professors. The cost of the class is $250, but the class normally costs over $1500. It is extensive training that covers a variety of issues from finance and marketing, to recognizing the right customers and even when to make the decision to "fire" a client. The Forum continues to host the Straight Talk sessions featuring our corporate partners. This gives our WBEs the opportunity to see how the supply chain operates at the different corporations and lets them better understand how to utilize the supplier diversity managers. Look for 2008 to have the City of Houston and state agencies to the line up to see what opportunities exist with those organizations. The WBEA has had a few staff changes: Brittany Patterson, WBE Opportunity Development Manager is working closely with our WBEs and corporate members to help them make the "right" matches when it comes to business opportunities. WBEs can assist her by verifying that your contact information and description are up to date. Email her at bpatterson@wbea-texas.org and she will send you the information we have listed for your company. Sandra Anderson, San Antonio Director, joined the WBEA in January. She is working to increase the opportunities for our San Antonio WBEs as well as recruit new corporate partners and WBEs in that area. Rene Williams has left WBEA for a new opportunity with one of our WBEs. While we miss her already, we are excited for her and wish her the best. I look forward to seeing you soon. Susan Repka Executive Director WBEA   Newsletter Sponsors Be a Sponsor of the WBEA Newsletter You can support your WBEA newsletter with a sponsorship of 1-month, 3-month or 1-year package. Your logo will prominently appear on the front page of the newsletter with a direct link to your site. find out more... Get Known! Get Business! WBEs on the Move… Toot your own horn! Share your success! We want to hear from you! Submissions to the WBEA newsletter are welcome and needed. Simply write a short blurb and send to René Williams at rwilliams@wbea-texas.org by the 20th of each month for inclusion in the following month’s newsletter. It’s all about you!!

Important announcement---the February Forum Meeting will be held this month on Tuesday, February 26th. Our Straight Talk speaker will be Steve Dukes from Centerpoint Energy. Please register today as seating is limited. Also, if you have specific questions for Steve please e-mail suepistone@suepistone.com and I will get them to Steve prior to the meeting with your name, e-mail address and company name We started the year off with an excellent presentation by Marion Nimon - MD Anderson. On March 13th the WBEA Business Development Task Force and The Forum will be presenting "ASK THE PROS". This is a wonderful opportunity for you to ask other professional women business owners, who have experienced the ups and downs of growing a business, questions to help you move forward faster. The sessions and speakers featured are: Debbie Wernet Acacia Energy, Inc. www.acaciaenergy.com Accounting/Finance P&L Analysis Reading financial statements Using financial statements Jodi Clausman Global Legal www.globallegal.us Business Development Strategic decision making about the company's markets, geographic and lines of business Veronica Jeans TopFlyt Professionals www.topflyt.com Business Plans Development Implementation Faye Caldwell Caldwell & Clinton, PLLC www.caldwellclinton.com Corporate Legal Issues Basic Contract Protection Structure Considerations Tax Sue Pistone Sue Pistone & Associates www.suepistone.com How To Market You and Your Company Marketing your skills and capabilities Marketing your products and services Michelle Mahony Muskat, Martinez & Mahony LLP www.m3law.com Human Resources-Legal Issues & Staffing Issues State & Federal Compliance Risk ExposureRecruiting Approaches, Employees Contractors Benefit Plans Dawn Magnum n8 Solutions www.n8s.cc Marketing Plans Identifying Target Markets Developing Marketing Plans Connie Rankin Customized Real Estate Services www.cresrealestate.com Real Estate What I Need When I Move From Home Office To A Commercial Office What Are The Things I Should Look For In My Lease Contract Amberly Allen Direct Innovations www.dimarketing.net Sales Getting and closing the sale Biddie Webb Limb Design, Inc. www.limbdesign.com Website Development Determining needs. Getting the most from your website There will be three sessions of 40 minutes in length. We will also have lunch provided by Continental, dessert by BP and you will receive a notebook from ExxonMobil. You will have the opportunity when you register to select your top 6 topics and we will do our best to get you into your top three sessions. Please go to the WBEA website today to register as we do have limited seating. Your investment is only $10 for this incredible opportunity. We look forward to seeing you at the next Forum Meeting on February 26th and "Ask The Pros" on March 13th. Make today GREAT! Your WBEA Forum Chair Sue Pistone WBEA member Kimberly McLea was featured in the January 2008 issue of Limousine & Chauffeured Transportation magazine. The article focuses on how the Houston limousine company underwent big changes to become successful after the events of 9/11. McLea took control of her company and became a certified woman-owned business. Her certification gave her the opportunity to get her foot in the door and show people her dedication to becoming one of the best in the industry. To read the article, click here to find out more… Woman-owned businesses in Bexar and surrounding counties will get the opportunity to get connected with corporate purchasers, governmental agencies, and other women business owners at the 2008 Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance ConnectionsLink San Antonio Expo. The event will be held Feb. 28, 2008, at the Norris Conference Center from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will include a breakfast workshop, a networking luncheon, and Expo. The Expo will include exhibitors from corporations, government agencies, and women-owned businesses. Click here to read more… Susan Repka asked me to write an article for the newsletter on what she called my favorite subject, involvement. Actually, I think she was just asking me to reduce my ongoing diatribe on the subject to writing. I didn’t know if I could convey the same passion on paper that I hope I do verbally, but I felt if there was a chance my effort would get more of you involved I was willing to give it a go. Let me start by saying my passion around the subject is driven as much by my own self interest as anything else. I want to meet and work with more WBE’s because I want the opportunity to learn from them. I’ve been in the business world a long time but I have only owned my own business for a year and a half. Click here to read more… The first new member orientation of the year produced a standing room only crowd prior to WBEA’s luncheon on January 30th held at The Houston Junior League. More than 17 newly certified Woman Business Enterprises (WBEs) attended the introductory session. New members received information packets with details about the benefits of their WBENC-certification. Following a welcome by WBEA Executive Director Susan Repka, membership chair Connie Smith pointed out highlights in the new member packets. Jo Dell Whitehead, chair of the ambassador sub-committee, introduced her newly-formed group that will greet new members and help them become active and involved in WBEA. Whitehead officially welcomed the new WBEs by "pinning" each new WBE with their WBEA membership pin. Members from the Corporate Advisory Council (CAC), board of directors and committee chairs, as well as the membership committee gave short introductions and encouraged all new WBEs to get involved! The new WBEs introduced themselves and described their business and services. Here is a testimonial from one of the newly-certified WBEs: "It was very exciting to attend my first real event. The new member meeting was certainly a bonus. It gave me a chance to hear what my options are as far a committee involvement. The upbeat spirit and enthusiasm was contagious. I was surprised at how many corporate sponsors donate their money and prestige, but also their time to attend and make newcomers feel welcome and important. The panel of member speakers at the luncheon brought to mind how diverse everyone's background and start up is. The mix of business types with the mix of women types shows the beauty of the WBEA. Thanks for the opportunity. Best regards, Cornelia Vaught PCPC DIRECT, LTD" The next member orientation will be held in conjunction with the WBEA Expo in May. All newly-certified WBEs should mark their calendars for the member orientation – you won’t want to miss it! Kathy Winkler, Chair Member Orientation Sub-Committee Membership Committee Click here to read more… Meet One on One with our Corporate Partners At this year’s 11th annual EXPO: Connections 2008, the WBEA will be organizing One-On-One Sessions. These sessions will give you the opportunity to build relationships with corporate buyers or larger WBE members that could use your services. Not everyone is guaranteed a One on One, but we encourage everyone to sign-up because if you don’t even have your name on the list, you won’t even get the chance to participate in this great opportunity. Don’t forget to submit your request as soon as possible. The deadline is coming up soon! For a registration form, email Susan at srepka@wbea-texas.org An Updated Profile Leads to More Business Opportunities Do you remember that company description that you filled out when you became a member of the WBEA? If you haven’t had the opportunity to look or update the profile information we sent you, Cheryl Ludwick from Alaron Supply Company Inc. can tell you how important it is. "Since I updated my profile with the WBEA, I’ve received 3 or 4 bid opportunities in less than 3 weeks," Ludwick said. Cheryl updated her description by adding more key words, and specific details about the type of business she handles, which helped the WBEA match her with opportunities that fit her business. The profile description is the most important part of the information you provide us. That helps us match you with the correct corporate partner for one on ones and for bid and contract opportunities that come into the WBEA office. Over 80% of our descriptions are 1-2 sentences. Over 50% are 1 sentence or less. In order for the WBEA to really help you sell your business to our corporate members, it’s imperative that we have as much information as possible. All changes to profiles must be made via email. The WBEA can send you another copy of your profile to review. For a copy of your current profile you can email bpatterson@wbea-texas.org. Local Business Named and Ranked 89th among Nation’s Top 500 Emerging Business List Houston, Texas, January 8, 2008. In recognition of the economic power of multicultural businesses, DiversityBusiness.com, the nations’ leading multicultural internet site, recently named The Morris Law Firm, P.C. as one of the "Top 500 Emerging Businesses in the United States (Div500)". Click here to read more… Sending Requests For Proposals (RFPs) and Requests For Quotes (RFQs) has been a new initiative for the WBEA in order to help its member gain more business opportunities. Many of you may have already seen a few come your way. For the month of January, over 88 bid opportunities were sent to 221 of our members. These opportunities come from a variety of different sources. Some are sent to the WBEA office from state and local agencies or companies looking from HUB subcontractors and vendors, but others can be found on websites that are readily available to everyone. Click here to read more… The WBEA January luncheon was another great inspiration. I was both moved and in awe at the challenges that some of these women have faced and overcome. I could obviously see that many of the attendees were enthralled at hearing what these courage women had been through and how successful they are now. I wanted to see what some of the speakers felt and here’s what they told me: "The WBEA has created yet another brilliant way to connect women with opportunities. After telling my story, comments were made to me to let me know that the audience could feel my passion for doing business, through the good times and challenging times. An absolutely brilliant way to connect WBE’s with corporate members!" said Lisa Phillip, President of Hybas International. Click here to read more… Welcome New Members January 2008 2K Design Services, LLC Korey L. Cope korey@2kdesignservices.com AGS Solutions, Inc. Linda Whiteley agssolutions@hotmail.com Allied Advanced Reporting, Inc. Susan Henley shenley@AlliedAdvancedReporting.com Avid Controls, Inc. Lori Savell avidcontrols@gmail.com B2B Specialties, Inc./dba DeLane's Ad Specialties Tammy Jenkins tammy.jenkins@leadergt.com Bohar Mechanical, LLC Linda Harvey lharvey@boharmechanical.com Council for Health and Education & Development LLC CFHED Peggy Kelso pkelso@aol.com Discovery Services of Texas. Inc. Silvia Maldonado smaldonado@dst-support.com Electronic Maintenance Company, Inc. (EMCO) Janice Peller jhpellar@emcobr.com Energize Your Outlook Laura Morales coach@energizeyouroutlook.com Ford Engineering, Inc. Regina Ford regina@fordengineering.com Hollyworks Holly Beadles holly@hollyworks.biz HWPB Enterprise LLC Monica Cantrell monicadcantrell@verizon.net Integrated Theft Solutions, Inc. Debra Rodriguez debra@integratedtheftsolutions.com Jubilant Cargo Company Sandra Scholwinski sandy@jubilantcargo.com KLH Services, Inc.DBA Vignon Corporation Kathy Hodgins-Blanck kathy.blanck@vignon.com L.K. Jordan & Associates Linda Jordan linda@lkjordan.com Lilly Construction Inc. Jana Wilson lillyconstruction@verizon.net MyVFM.com Kelly Stallings kstallings@myvfm.com N. C. McDonald Consulting, Inc. Nancy McDonald nmcdonald@ncmcdonaldconsulting.com Oceansoft International, LLC Grace Chen gchen@esimplecash.com On The Dot Solutions Christy Bailey christybailey@otdsolutions.com One World Strategy Group, LLC Jeri Brooks jeri@oneworldstrong.com PCPC Direct, LTD Cornelia Vaught cvaught@pcpcdirect.com Raiford Motors, Inc. dba Energy Country Patti King pking@energycountry.com Samaria Print Services LLC Liz Bucher liz@samariaprintservices.com SBU Group L.P. DBA Apollo Distributors Sushma Verma sushma.verma@apollodistributors.com Specialty Food Distribution Lori Scott tnl92@earthlink.net Thomason Interiors dba Skollaja Enterprises, Inc. Susan Kollaja skollaja@comcast.net Universe Technical Translation Inc. Marion Rifkind marion.rifkind@universe.us Vie Mixon CPA Vie Mixon viem@viemixoncpa.com © 2007 Women's Business Enterprise Alliance 1900 North Loop West, Suite 270, Houston, Texas 77018-8120 | 713-681-9232 amoore@wbea-texas.org WBEA sends out the Connections Newsletter to all its members and other parties interested in our services and events. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please send an email to unsubscribe@wbea-texas.org.