Following its successful first Town Hall Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri in March, the National Women's Business Council will host a second meeting in Portland, Oregon on June 5, 2007. This half-day event will allow members of the Council to hear directly from women business owners about their priorities, challenges and concerns. The event’s outcomes will help the Council formulate future policy recommendations.

During the event, participants will have opportunities to participate in in-depth discussions on public policy issues that are frequently identified as important to the success of women business owners in smaller breakout sessions. Topics will include affordable health care, access to capital, procurement, taxes, and education and workforce development. The event will also include a panel of successful women business owners who will address issues from the breakout sessions by providing insights from their own experiences as business owners.

The Council encourages participation at this event from women business owners and entrepreneurs from all industries, ethnicities, and experience and revenue levels. The event is free, but space is limited, so advance registration is required. For more information, visit www.nwbc.gov or contact the Council at 202-205-3850. Click here to register.

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The National Women’s Business Council this month announced the launch of a Spanish language version of its web site, www.womenbiz.gov, to assist Hispanic women business owners with federal government contracting. The web site, www.womenbiz.gov/espanol, provides valuable information and tips specifically targeted to women-owned businesses.

The Council offers this resource for Hispanic women business owners interested in federal procurement opportunities. With links to many other government procurement resources, the new version of www.womenbiz.gov serves as a first stop for Spanish-speaking women business owners interested in doing business with the federal government.

The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy reports that, as of the 2002, women owned 22% of Hispanic employer firms and 36% of Hispanic non-employer firms. According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, between 1997 and 2006 the number of Hispanic women-owned firms increased by over 120% and sales grew by 33%. Firms majority-owned by Hispanic women now represent nearly 10 percent of all majority women-owned firms in the United States.

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Maria Taxman, former Board member of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, completed her three-year term on the National Women’s Business Council this month. Taxman served on the Council since her appointment in April 2004 and contributed to Council programs and services through her insights and outreach to the Hispanic business community. The Council is grateful to Maria for her service and unfailing commitment to improving opportunities for women business owners.

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Members of Council staff have participated in several events this month to reach out to women business owners at all levels. The Council exhibited at the 2007 National Conference of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in Washington, DC on April 12 and at the 17th Annual OSDBU Procurement Conference on April 19 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Both events allowed Council staff to reach out to women business owners and provide information on NWBC’s programs and services.

In addition, NWBC Executive Director Margaret Barton participated in the Women Presidents’ Organization 10th Anniversary Annual Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. (WPO) April 19-21. During the event, Barton was able to speak directly with many WPO members and keep them updated on the work of the Council.

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The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration this month released a new study outlining how minority business ownership has changed from 1997 to 2002. Minorities in Business: A Demographic Review of Minority Business Owners was compiled primarily from the 2002 U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons.

According to the report, in 2002, women owned 17 percent of all employer firms. Women owned 22 percent of Asian-owned employer firms, 29 percent of Black-owned employer firms, 22 percent of Hispanic-owned employer firms, 30 percent of Native American-owned employer firms, and 23 percent of Pacific Islander- owned employer firms.

For more information and a complete copy of the report, visit the Office of Advocacy web site.

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Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) released its 2007 National Survey of Women Business Owners this month. In the poll, conducted online to gain insight on issues affecting the growth of women-owned businesses, health care was named the most critical issue affecting their businesses by respondents. Energy and tax concerns ranked second and third as priorities identified by the survey’s respondents.

Health care concerns were ranked as the number one priority by respondents for the fifth year. More than 85% of those surveyed want small employers to have the option to access the same insurance programs offered to government employees and 64% believe that the number of uninsured individuals would decrease if business owners were allowed to shop across state lines for more competitive rates. The majority supported small business tax breaks as an incentive to offer employee health coverage.

Concern about energy costs ranked as the second most critical issue, and more than half of all respondents (52%) said they have plans to alter business practices to either conserve energy or become more environmentally friendly. Eighty-one percent of respondents supported comprehensive reform of the current tax structure, including changes to the estate tax, capitol gains and dividends, and expensing for small businesses.

To read the complete survey, visit www.wipp.org.

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On Wednesday, May 30, the Center for Women's Business Research and Babson College will hold the second national research forum to bring together women of color entrepreneurs to identify barriers to business growth and develop action steps to overcome these barriers. African-American, Latinas, Asian and multicultural women business owners are invited to apply to participate in this groundbreaking study.

This multi-year national research project, focused on accelerating the growth of businesses owned by women of color, was kicked off in Philadelphia in February. At the upcoming forum, participants will learn from other women like themselves who are focused on business growth, as well as from nationally recognized experts and highly successful women of color entrepreneurs. Several more forums are scheduled for later this year, with the entire project culminating in a national conference to present the results in 2008.

Click here to learn more or apply to participate.

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The U.S. Small Business Administration celebrated National Small Business Week 2007 this month in Washington, D.C. The event, which honored the nation’s most outstanding entrepreneurs, included presentations of awards to small businesses from every state across the country, as well as to champions and supporters of small business, like Charlotte Zietlow, Economic Development Coordinator of Middle Way House in Bloomington, Indiana, winner of the Women in Business Champion Award. The two-day event culminated with the announcement of Bobbie Jacobs-Ghaffar and Lesa Jacobs, two Native American sisters from Lumberton, N.C., as the National Small Business Persons of the Year for 2007. The sisters launched a homegrown health care business in 2000, which today employs more than 300 with over $9 million in annual sales.

Click here for more information on 2007 Small Business Week and for a complete list of winners.

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