The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Supportive Services Center at Cheyney University will host their first annual, Women in Business Summit: Quality Without Question on Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 8 am – 3 pm at Cheyney University’s Marcus Foster Student Center. The summit will highlight women in the construction industry, and provide those looking to pursue entrepreneurship within the largely male-dominated field, access to a wealth of professional development resources and the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals and organizations from the tri-state area.
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 a panel discussion in order to connect women business owners to resources and opportunities to help grow their businesses.
Summit keynote speaker, Charlea Washington of Lane Construction Corporation, based in Connecticut, is an avid supporter of small business initiatives and labor laws. Washington is an inspiring and engaging leader, travels the country providing wage and hour compliance training to contractors and assisting the U.S. Department of Transportation with their Bonding Education Programs.
“The state of Pennsylvania offers a great deal of opportunities for contractors to grow their business,” Cynthia Moultrie, Director of the DBE Supportive Services Center said. “Our goal is to help prepare women and minority business owners to successfully secure governmental contracts.”
Summit attendees looking to beat the statistic of women in construction in areas such as accessing capital, bidding and marketing will also have an audience with such organizations as FINANTA, Urban League Entrepreneurial Center and the Women’s Opportunities Resource Center who specialize in small business development and financing.
This power packed day also features a panel discussion on the challenges of balancing work and life as most women entrepreneurs are managing their households, as well as a 9-to-5 grind, basketball practices 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 be a critical part of their success.
The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Center located on the campus of the historic Cheyney University 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.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Thursday, May 31st 2018 at 5:20PM
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