Ana Recio Harvey, Assistant Administrator, Office of Women’s Business Ownership and Darlene Ajayi, WEB Women’s Business Center Program Director at the Network it!, 2012 Women Business Owners Expo sponsored by Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission held recently at the WSSC headquarters in Laurel, Maryland.

Thursday May 17, 2012

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship

Franklin Room

9250 Bendix Road

Columbia, MD 21045

This event is free, but space is limited.

Advance online registration is required.

Register online at http://tinyurl.com/SBA-MD-Events

contact: Tonia McCoy, 410-962-4392 ext. 316 or Email tonia.mccoy@sba.gov

WBENC CERTIFICATION – Is my business ready for certification?

The Women’s BUSINESS Presidents’ Education Organization (WPOE) will conduct a certification training to ease the pro-cess of applying for WBENC Certification.

This certification is an important marketing tool for expand-ing your company’s visibility among and access to decisions makers in supplier diversity and procurement offices. Many corporations require that you be WBENC-certified before providing access to their supplier diversity programs.

Benefits of Certification:

• List your business profile in the WBENLINK database
• Access to the WBENC seal for your letterhead, business cards, etc
• Access to a directory of corporations accepting WBENC certifications
• Exclusive e-marketplace for WBEs

WHEN:

Thursday, May 24, 2012 – 10:00 AM — 12:00 PM

WHERE:

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS OF BALTIMORE (WEB)

1118 Light Street,

Baltimore, Maryland 21230

This event is free, but space is limited.

Advance online registration is required.

Register online at http://tinyurl.com/SBA-MD-Events

contact: Tonia McCoy, 410-962-4392 ext. 316 or Email tonia.mccoy@sba.gov

International Trade For Women Entrepreneurs: What You Need To Know

Thursday June 14, 2012

10:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship

Latimer Room

9250 Bendix Road

Columbia, MD 21045

This event is free, but space is limited.

Advance online registration is required.

Register online at http://tinyurl.com/SBA-MD-Events

contact: Tonia McCoy, 410-962-4392 ext. 316 or Email tonia.mccoy@sba.gov

This U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Cooperative Agreement is partially funded by the SBA. SBA’s funding is not an endorsement of any products, opinions, or services. All SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

Understanding the SLMBE Appendix A

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC)

Understanding the SLMBE Appendix A for MBE/SLBE/SLMBE Participation and the Good Faith Efforts Guide Training Course Description/Overview/Purpose Implementation of the new SLMBE Programs (Standard Procedures MBE 11-01 and SLBE 12-01) has required the development of a comprehensive Appendix A and Good Faith Efforts Guide.

Who Should Attend?
The target audience for this training includes, but is not limited to the following:

• ALL Current WSSC Prime Vendors/Suppliers
• ALL Current WSSC Subcontractors
• ALL Aspiring Prime Vendors/Suppliers and/or Subcontractors

WHEN:
Friday, May 18, 2012 – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
No Walk-Ins

LOCATION:
WSSC Headquarters Building
14501 Sweitzer Lane
Laurel, Maryland 20707

No Walk-Ins
To Register: Visit www.wsscwater.com, Click on Businesses tab, select Small Local & Minority Business, and select SLMBE Event Calendar from the side navigation; or click here to go SLMBE Event Calendar

Water Awareness Symposium

An Open Discussion on Issues of Regional Water Quality Management in a Global Context

Goal: To inspire holistic, creative, and collaborative approaches to address water challenges and identify research topics of interest for multi‐agency (private and public) partnerships

Overview of Agenda:
7:45 – 8:25 a.m. Breakfast (coffee, juice, pastries, croissant, yogurt, and fruit)
8:25 – 8:30 a.m. Welcoming Remarks
8:30 – 9:20 a.m. Session I (Global and Local Water Challenges‐ Current and Future)
9:20 – 9:50 a.m. Session II (Academic Activities and Perspectives)
9:50 – 10:00 a.m. Break
10:00 – 11:50 a.m. Session III (Policy Maker Perspectives on Water and Panel Discussion)
11:50 – noon Closing Remarks

WHEN:
Friday, May 18, 2012

WHERE:
Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus
9605 Medical Center Drive
Room 121
Rockville, Maryland 20850
* Please note: You must enter campus from Broschart Road.

Limited Space – No Charge
To reserve your seat please click here.
Questions regarding registration? Contact Barbara Crews at bcrews@jhu.edu or call (301) 294-7004

WBENC CERTIFICATION – Is my business ready for certification?

The Women’s BUSINESS Presidents’ Education Organization (WPOE) will conduct a certification training to ease the pro-cess of applying for WBENC Certification.

This certification is an important marketing tool for expand-ing your company’s visibility among and access to decisions makers in supplier diversity and procurement offices. Many corporations require that you be WBENC-certified before providing access to their supplier diversity programs.

Benefits of Certification:

• List your business profile in the WBENLINK database
• Access to the WBENC seal for your letterhead, business cards, etc
• Access to a directory of corporations accepting WBENC certifications
• Exclusive e-marketplace for WBEs

WHEN:
Thursday, May 24, 2012 – 10:00 AM — 12:00 PM

WHERE:
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS OF BALTIMORE (WEB)
1118 Light Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230

This event is free, but space is limited.

Advance online registration is required.

Register online at http://tinyurl.com/SBA-MD-Events
contact: Tonia McCoy, 410-962-4392 ext. 316 or Email tonia.mccoy@sba.gov

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) University

Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs

Designed as a “Road Show” conference that travels to each of the State’s regions, the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) University offers training and information on the State’s programs and opportunities for small, minority and women-owned businesses. MBE University is connects small and minority businesses with State and private sector contracting opportunities.

WHEN:
Tuesday, June 5 – 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

WHERE:
Howard County Community College
Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center
10901 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, Maryland 21044

Attend

MBE Rights and Responsibilities

Do you want to learn new skills that will help you win work on government contracts? The First Friday 2012 Summer Classroom Series can help. Attend one, two, three or all four of these power-packed classes and learn how to position, navigate, connect and perform in the government contracting area.

Space is limited and online registration is required. The First Friday 2012 Summer Classroom Series is brought to you by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Office of Minority Business Enterprise

WHEN:
Friday September, 7 – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

WHERE:
MDOT Headquarters
Hanover, Maryland

MDOT’s Office of Minority Business Enterprise is the State’s official certification agency.
To learn more about certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and/or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), call 410-865-1269 or click on the Minority Business Enterprise Tab at www.mdot.maryland.gov

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) University

Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs

Designed as a “Road Show” conference that travels to each of the State’s regions, the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) University offers training and information on the State’s programs and opportunities for small, minority and women-owned businesses. MBE University is connects small and minority businesses with State and private sector contracting opportunities.

WHEN:
Monday, October 29 – 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

WHERE:
Oregon Ridge Park Beach & Conference Center

For Information please call 410-727-4921 ext. 10, or info@webinc.org

WEB is seeking WEB Ambassadors to help staff the WEB booth during the community events.  If you can donate a few hours to share your support and enthusiasm

for WEB & WEB’s programs, please contact Roberta Creeron at WEB,

410-727-4921 ext. 20, or rcreeron@webinc.org

This is the second time WEB has received a technology award from HP.

This award recognizes the valuable training and entrepreneurial development WEB accomplishes with its clients. An integral part of WEB’s business skills training is the use of current computer technology and software, moving students to the advantaged side of the digital divide. In fact, WEB students enrolled in its Ready To Write business planning course are required to create a Technology Implementation Plan (TIP) to describe how they will use technology to assist them in running their businesses.

The purpose of the global HP LIFE program is to train “students, aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to harness the power of information technology (IT) to establish and grow their business” (HP Life program documents). The primary component of the grant is what is called the “Multi-Seat Computing Solution.” The IT equipment includes 30 workplaces for students and 2 notebooks for teachers. The certified instructors receive specialized training and ongoing support to lead students through specific curriculum modules and games which facilitate learning.

The LIFE Curriculum is directed at people starting up, running, or working in micro-enterprises. Despite representing the largest source of new job creation, these small companies often struggle with efficiency and fail to grow beyond their original size. The LIFE Curriculum aims to help them overcome some of these challenges.  Another desirable feature of the LIFE Curriculum is that it combines business and technology. It has two key components:

The Experiential Learning Cycle – learning through hands-on experiences; and Business –Technology-Business framework –a way of integrating all the technological content into a business context, so that students always make the connection to business of the skills they are learning.

Curriculum topics are organized from IMAGINE, PLAN, and START through to GROW and INNOVATE, thereby addressing people with different amounts of experience in business. This corresponds to WEB’s expanded mission to assist not only the start-up entrepreneur, but also the existing owner with 1+ years in business. The HP LIFE program also provides an interactive global network called the LIFE Community to any entrepreneur who participates in the training and curriculum at one of the LIFE Centers, such as WEB.  All members have access to additional trainings, events and other entrepreneurs.

Ms. Aqrabawi, a graduate of the University of Jordan, has worked at the Jordan River Foundation for almost five years.  The Foundation, created in 1995 and chaired by Queen Rania Al Abdullah, is a non-profit non-governmental organization focusing on several social and economic program areas, including Child Safety and Community Empowerment.

Ms. Aqrabawi’s interest in non-governmental organizations, women’s issues, and monitoring and evaluation practices led her to apply to the IREX program, which in turn matched her with WEB.

Ms. Aqrabawi will be performing outcomes research during her time at WEB, in addition to fulfilling her fellowship requirements. The challenging IREX program requires completion of on-line seminar training, regular assignments and a six-month project once the fellow returns to her home country.

Ms. Aqrabawi has worked extensively in the Community Empowerment program, particularly on data collection, tracking, evaluation, and development of critical success factors.  The program addresses communities of lower-income people throughout Jordan.  The Jordan River Foundation develops and implements holistic plans to work with these communities to develop income-generating businesses. Program specialists work through strategies such as:  training and capacity building; cooperation with local community-based organizations; use of small revolving-loan funds; and infrastructure support.

IREX was founded in 1968 with the goal of facilitating intellectual exchange and research between the U.S. and foreign countries.  It accomplishes this with a wide variety of projects.   In 2003, IREX established the U.S. Business fellowship program for Middle Eastern women, in which Ms. Aqrabawi is a participant.  Programs reaching out to the Middle East now comprise 10% of IREX’s program portfolio.

Ms. Aqrabawi comes from a family of seven and enjoys basketball.  She’s looking forward to seeing some of the United States before she returns to Jordan in the winter.  She intends to continue working on Community Empowerment and women’s economic development at the Jordan River Foundation for a number of years.