North Central Texas Womens Business Development Council

The mission of the Women's Business Council - Southwest (WBCS)) is to facilitate mutually beneficial procurement opportunities among Women's Business Enterprises (WBE) and Sustaining Corporate Members. The WBCS proudly serves a four state region including the northern half of Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.In an effort to realize the mission of WBCS, four foundational components aid in achieving our success: Certification, procurement, education, and networking.The membership of the WBCS includes 87 Corporate Members and 1,265 Women Business Enterprise (WBE) Members. WBCS administers the following certification for our WBE constituents:Women's Business Enterprise National Certification (WBENC)Women Owned Small Business Certification for the Federal GovernmentState of Texas Historically Underutilized Business CertificationSmall Business Enterprise Certification for use by DFW Int'l AirportThe signature events of the WBCS include: Parade of Stars Awards Gala: The Council recognizes and celebrates exemplary Corporate and WBE Members at this elegant event featuring networking, dinner, and awards.Harvesting Partnerships: Our procurement and educational workshop features panel discussions and seminars on issues of interest to Council members.Connection to Contracts: Combining the most popular elements of former WBCS events - Power to Potential, Executive Insights,and Business Works Expo, this inaugural procurement event features corporate roundtable sessions, a c-suite executive keynote luncheon and "prime time" sessions led by Sustaining (Corporate) Members and their Tire 1 suppliers. WBCS educational initiatives include:DFW Area Table Topics Luncheons - MonthlyWBCS conducts model programs that advance its mission and provide added value for the members, including:Done Deals - advertising the business done between members of the WBCS and reporting the aggregate dollar amount of WBE business reported from the membership. $8,599,396,907 was reported in 2022.Lillie Knox Investing for Growth - a cash award of up to $20,000 is presented to eligible WBEs through an annual application and judging process. The award is designed to assist WBE members in taking their business to the next level of performance and success. A total of $38,000 was awarded to three recipients in 2022.Corporate Scorecard - annual reporting out to corporate members on their specific participation in WBCS events and the value and recognition received for their participation.WBCS conducts programming for segments of the membership that supports community and engagement, i.e. WBEs of Color, and Next Generation WBEs.WBCS converses with others through the following outletsfacebookcomwbcsouthwesttwi... linkedincomcompanywomensbusinessc...

Through the Lillie Knox Investing for Growth Fund, scholarships are awarded each year to select Council members to fund growth initiatives for the businesses. The maximum available is $20,000 per recipient. The award is based upon the success of the applicant in describing specifically what they need, the value of the goods or services they provide, and how they will utilize the award to advance their business.