WBEC-East will continue its mission of supporting women entrepreneurs – providing resources, education, networking, and access to the WBENC Certification.
While we are women-focused, our programs, resources, and workshops are open to ALL. Our organization is committed to the economic development of small businesses and local communities, and we are happy to welcome individuals of all races, genders, and backgrounds.
Though we will continue advocating for women entrepreneurs, as non-profit organizations, WBEC-East and WBENC are limited in the lobbying that is permitted and rely on our partners at Women Impacting Public Policy and the Association of Women Business Centers.
Please consider following their social media and take a look at their websites for the latest news, guidance and responses.
We don’t have all the answers (yet) to this week’s questions, and we will continue to update all those in our network.
As we prepare for the future, we want to take a moment to remember how we got to where we are now.
· 1963: President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination between men and women performing the same job in the workplace.
· 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act into law; Title VI bans employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin or sex.
· 1988: The Women’s Business Ownership Act prohibited the state laws that required women to secure a male relative as their co-signer on business loans.
· According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women-owned businesses contribute an estimated $1.9 trillion to the U.S. economy, employ 10.9 million individuals, and have an estimated $432 billion in annual payroll.
· As shown in the McKinsey & Company Supplier Diversity Study, diversity helps to create better workplaces and having minority and women businesses in the supply chain nets the corporate partners year-over-year cost savings of 8.5%.
WBEC-East believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential principles in today’s society, key to responsible procurement sourcing, and offer a win-win by driving businesses’ profit and broader economic and social progress. DE&I is not contrary to meritocracy. Our programs have always, and will continue to ensure fair and equal access to compete, on merit, for opportunities.
In 2025, WBEC-East entered its 30th year of serving women entrepreneurs and small businesses. These forward-thinking companies thrive because of the quality and ingenuity they possess and the responsible procurement sourcing practices that allow them to compete. WBEC-East will continue our mission of supporting women entrepreneurs as we know that supplier diversity promotes innovation, levels the competitive playing field, and gives corporate America access to a wider range of qualified suppliers – ultimately resulting in better “merit-based” partnerships that fuel the economy.
We operate on facts and statistics and will continue to do so for the next 30 years… and beyond!
WBEC-East Non-Discrimination Policy
As a community of entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and economic development thought-leaders, WBEC-East is committed to the elimination of discrimination in all areas of business and the provision of equal opportunity when accessing capital, contracts, and contacts. In compliance with state and federal laws and regulation, we do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status in any of our policies, procedures, or practices. This non-discrimination policy covers admission and access to, and treatment, in all programs and activities.
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