Want contracts? Work harder, women's org. CEO says

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140709/apfn-us--smallbiz-small_talk-e11d290550.html

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG

NEW YORK (AP) — Pamela Prince-Eason isn't letting women business owners off the hook — if they want more contracts with big corporations or the government, they have to work harder to get them than they do now.

The CEO of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, an organization that helps women-owned companies win those contracts, says it's not just corporations standing in women's way. These owners, even some of WBENC's members, need to be more aggressive.



This undated photo provided by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) shows its President and CEO, Pamela Prince-Eason. Prince-Eason sees progress in getting corporate and government contracting officers to work with women-owned businesses, but there's still much work to be done. (AP Photo/WBENC)


"There are still many people who join our organization and say, now that I'm part of the network, that means so-and-so is just going to do business with me. That's just absolutely not so," Prince-Eason says.

WBENC was founded in 1997 to help women business owners get government and big corporate contracts. It was at a time when major corporations and the government didn't believe that women, like minorities, had a hard time getting such contracts, Prince-Eason says — whether because of a lack of relationships or because their companies were seen as too small or inexperienced. While there were groups and government programs to help minorities, women were on their own.

FULL story at link.