On Thursday, March 22, 2018, The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Center at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, will host the Women in Business Summit: Quality Without Question, in celebration of Women’s History Month. The event will be held from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Marcus Foster Auditorium.
Across the region, women own and operate construction, engineering, landscaping firms, but many still lag behind their male counterparts when it comes to access in the construction and transportation industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2015 Population Survey states that women make up 9.3% of those employed in construction and the growth trend is expected to continue. Studies also show that the construction industry offers women a great opportunity to become entrepreneurs.
The Summit will offer workshops, networking and panel discussions in order to connect women business owners toresources and opportunities to help grow their businesses. Summit keynote speaker, Donna Allie, President & CEO ofTeam Clean. Inc., founded Team Clean, a commercial, janitorial service company in 1983. By 1999 it was the fourth-largest, woman-owned business in Philadelphia and has been recognized by the Wharton Small Business DevelopmentCenter as one of the fastest-growing businesses in the metropolitan area. Allie is an inspiring and engaging leader, whose commitment to quality and reliability drive the social mission of the company.
“The state of Pennsylvania offers a great deal of opportunities for contractors to grow their business,” said CynthiaMoultrie, Director of the DBE Supportive Services Center. “Our goal is to help prepare women and minority businessowners to successfully secure governmental contracts.” Summit attendees looking to beat the statistic of women inconstruction in areas such as accessing capital, bidding and marketing will also have an audience with suchorganizations as FINANTA, Urban League Entrepreneurial Center and the Small Business Enterprise Center whospecialize in small business development and financing.
This power packed day also features a panel discussion on the challenges female entrepreneurs face every day ofbalancing work and life. Most women entrepreneurs are managing their households as well as a 9-5 grind, basketballpractices and dish-duty, while growing their dream empires. Overall, the summit is bringing together various industry leaders at a time when women are starting more businesses than ever, and the DBE Center looks forward to being a critical part of their success.
All interested in attending can register at eventbrite.com. To view the full list of summit speakers, click here. For more information, contact Tanya Morris at 610-399-2091 or tmorris@cheyney.edu.
The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Center located on the campus of the historic CheyneyUniversity of Pennsylvania, is a joint initiative between Cheyney University and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The DBE Supportive Services Center provides business development services to DBE firms to enable them to acquire the proficiency, experience and expertise necessary to compete on an equal basis, with non-DBE firms for federally assisted PennDOT contracts and subcontracts.