|
Enterprising
Women: How has BWN opened more doors
for women-owned businesses that want to do business
with the federal government?
Edie
Fraser: Since 1993, when we established BWN
and then Diversity Best Practices, we found the
government to be receptive to helping women and
minority entrepreneurs.
The
SBA initially helped us reach women's organizations
back in 1994 when we started profiling those organizations.
Initially we profiled several hundred -
now we profile over 7,000. BWN and Diversity Best
practices now actively works with more than 20 departments
and agencies to open doors for women and minorities.
EW:
Tell us more about the relationships you have
with these agencies.
Fraser:
They have been with us for years at our Summit and
Gala, and these agencies are willing to match-make
when the women-owned business has a core competency
that meets their needs, for example, in construction
or technology. We've presented awards to six agencies
to recognize them for awarding contracts to women-owned
firms when they have exceeded the 5 percent goal.
My approach is to focus on those who are doing the
most and salute them 'big time.'
We've
walked so many women business owners through the
doors of certain agencies and we've found in most
instances that they are cooperative and willing
to assist. I think of Maria Sobrino of Lulu's Desserts
and the help she received from her first SBA loan.
We helped her through our work with the Foreign
Agriculture Service (FSA) of the USDA under a contract
we had to find more opportunities to gain overseas
business. We credit the vision of Frank Lee at FSA
and now we've developed a data base of some 1,300
women and minorities in food processing alone. At
the National Restaurant Show alone, we were able
to arrange several hundred meetings for women business
owners.
We
are also proud of the accomplishments of A.J. Baylor
and Alphonso Jackson at Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) - with 40 percent of their contracts
now going to women-owned firms. We honored Secretary
Martinez at our WOW! Facts event to show our appreciation.
We have also been a strong partner with Bob Faithful
of the Department of the Interior. He 'walks the
talk' and walks the best of women-owned firms through
the agencies.
EW:
How much progress has been made in the past year
or two?
Fraser:
We are pleased that Marilyn Carlson Nelson is bringing
such vision and direction to the National Women's
Business Council. We're also pleased that the White
House and others support anti-bundling of government
contracts. Now we need to see results. It is good
to have the match-making conferences taking place
across the country, but there must be 'deals' done.
There needs to be more visibility for role models.
It's very positive that the SBA is having its 50th
anniversary this month (September) and saluting
role models like Lurita Doan and others.
EW:
You have been very supportive of Lurita Doan
and Gloria Bohan, both women business owners who
have achieved great success in doing business with
the federal government. What can other women business
owners learn from them?
Fraser:
Lurita Doan is precisely what this nation needs.
Her company brings innovative solutions that have
been applied not only to Homeland Security, but
to a number of other departments in the government.
She will assess a need and foot the cost to prove
an innovative solution. The company remains on the
cutting edge of information technology under her
visionary leadership. It hasn't been easy for Lurita.
Large companies want to compete and bundling is
still a reality. But with passion, perseverance,
and the best there is to offer in solutions, she
is winning.
Gloria
Bohan is a wonderful role model and I have been
proud to promote her and support her efforts. We
are so proud that Omega World Travel is the largest
woman-owned business in the DC metropolitan area.
As with Lurita, we are there to support one another.
She has achieved tremendous success with government
contracting, and this opportunity has helped her
to significantly expand her business.
-
Contact
the Business Women's Network at www.bwni.com
(This
article is reprinted from the Fall 2003 edition
of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright
2003, Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole
or part is prohibited, except by permission of the
publisher.)
Would
you like to comment on this story? Click
here to send a note to our editors.
|
