News From Women's Business Council

It is a well-known fact that the majority of women are emotionally and relationship driven, and the majority of men are task driven. How does this affect your business strategy? Do you rise above it, ignore it or try to leverage it to be successful?

Join Marny Lifshen, marketing communications consultant, author and speaker as she guides you through the male/female workplace dynamic.

She will help you:

Understand the different ways men and women build and manage relationships
Adjust communication style for the audience/situation
Recognize common misperceptions and assumptions
Leverage our innate strengths and learn from each other
Build a network of male allies and advocates

Addison Conference Center

15650 Addison Road

Addison , TX 75001

2013 WBENC NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The 2013 WBENC National Conference and Business Fair will be held June 25-27, 2013, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This year's conference features a record number of workshops for both corporate and WBEs. The areas of focus are:

Orientation
Building and Honing Skills
Leveraging Expertise
Building Capacity

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Gail Darling, president of Gail Darling Staffing, has been a member of the WBCS and certified since 2005. Gail moved her business last year from El Paso to Austin. She has been an active member attending national events, events in DFW and in Austin.

Read more about Gail...

LILLIE KNOX INVESTING FOR GROWTH AWARD

Women business owners, could you use extra cash to grow your business?

By identifying a critical business need and completing the application you could potentially receive up to $5,000 cash through the Lillie Knox Investing for Growth Award!

Each year at the Harvesting Partnerships Lillie R. Knox Memorial Luncheon, an award of up to $5,000 is given in Lillie's memory. This year's luncheon will be held on September 5, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency DFW Hotel.

Why apply? Hear from a past award recipient.

"I was so excited to have the award money available when the invoice came in for our new Web server. The cost of installation was completely paid for and the rest I put toward the purchase. In this economy, every opportunity to enhance our growth or support our operation should be considered. The application is so easy. The award money was great enough, but all the free publicity that came along with being a winner was super!"

- Lee Ann Packard, Marfield Corporate Stationery

The recipient(s) needs to be a certified-WBE member(s) of WBCS who has identified a critical need in her business that, if met, will support the growth and development of her business.

The cash award may fully (or partially) fund this need and may include, but is not limited to, equipment purchase, technical development or upgrade, consulting services, strategic planning, website development, planning or education.

Applications are due by July 31, 2013.

If you are interested in making a tax deductible donation to the Lillie Knox Investing for Growth Award, please call Flo Cox (817-299-0566 ext 203) with your credit card information, or mail a check payable to: WBCS, 2201 N. Collins St., Ste 158, Arlington, TX 76011

ERNST & YOUNG

Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial

Winning Women 2013 Program
Application Deadline June 28, 2013

The deadline for applications is quickly approaching. Don't miss out on the opportunity to participate in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women program. This customized leadership development program provides year-round activities, and is designed to help women entrepreneurs scale big, become market leaders and ultimately compete more effectively for Entrepreneur Of The Year.

Ernst & Young is looking for dynamic women business owners who are the founding CEOs of privately held U.S. companies that are less than 10 years old. Typical applicant annual company revenue ranges from $1 to $20 million.

Learn more about the program, its benefits and the application process.

WBE-TO-WBE SPOTLIGHT

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Ricochet Fuel recently hired Business Interiors to provide office furniture. Kelly Roberts, President of Ricochet Fuel, snapped this photo to eternalize the importance of WBE-to-WBE opportunities.

Have you done business with a fellow WBE? If so, submit your Done Deal™ story.

JULY DFW TABLE TOPICS LUNCHEON

Taking Your Business to the Next Level:

The Six Keys to Breaking Through the Ceiling

Presented by: Jeff Whittle, Managing Director, Cogris

Just because you've pushed your business past the survival phase doesn't mean that things will get any easier. Moving into growth mode brings a new set of challenges, and business leaders often find themselves stuck. They're working harder than ever, but they can't seem to get the business to the next level of performance and profitability. When you hit one of these ceilings the business can feel out of control, and it's hard to know what to do. And even if you knew what to do, there never seem to be enough hours in the day to do it.

But what if there was a roadmap? What if you could distill the hundreds of issues swirling around the vortex of your business and manage them with a system focused on just six key competencies? What if there were simple tools you could use to get where you want to go without re-inventing wheels?

"I have been privileged to know Jeff for several years. He is an excellent 'sounding board' with a background that enables him to bring a 360 degree perspective to the issues that business owners must address as their businesses expand. An exceptional listener who empowers others to minimize obstacles and maximize results."

- Lisa Martin, Executive VP at Xllerate Consulting, LLC

Join us on July 2, when Cogris Managing Director Jeff Whittle shares the system and tools that hundreds of businesses around the country - both large and small - use to build healthier, stronger companies that consistently break through ceiling after ceiling. There are no magic bullets, there is no secret sauce. These are just simple, practical tools that you and your leadership team can begin to use right away to get better results.

Online Registration Fee $20
On-Site Registration Fee $25

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Brinker International
6700 LBJ Freeway
Bldg. C, CR Play Room
Dallas, Texas 75240

ALL ABOUT AUSTIN

June Austin Council Connection Luncheon

Succession Management: Beyond a 12-Step Program

"This is a test of your succession management readiness program"

Is your organization prepared to fill any critical position within your organization with a qualified, capable, individual who can be ready to serve within 15 days?

"This is only a test"

If this were a real emergency, your organization would be required to make an emergency placement with your available talent or suffer from the loss of a key player and perhaps the loss of business in the process.

Succession planning is not just a 12-step process for moving names around on an organization chart. It is a tightly-woven process that is intertwined into the fabric of your business. This session describes what succession management is and what it is not. It highlights some of the best and worst practices of those who have implemented succession management and lived to tell about it.

Join us as Sherry Perkins, Strategic Account Manager with Profiles International helps you test your strategy among some of the best. She'll discuss:

Succession Planning
Replacement Planning
Hi-Potential
Process Integration and Business Balance
The Reality of Readiness

At the close of this session, you will be able to:

Define succession management and outline the essential steps in the process.
Evaluate your own program for strengths and weaknesses against documented best practices of successful programs.
Determine the starting point for implementing a successful succession management program, as well as prospective inhibitors and enhancers of a successful implementation.
Outline key metrics for evaluating the success of a succession management program.

Registration Fee:

Members - $20

Non-Members - $25

11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Registration

11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Networking & Introductions

12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Program

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Chez Zee American Bistro
5406 Balcones Drive

Austin, Texas 78731

MEMBER NEWS

NORTH TEXAS TOLLWAY AUTHORITY

(NTTA)

Vendor Outreach Symposium In Tarrant County

June 20, 2013
4 to 6 p.m.

This Symposium provides information on contract opportunities for future projects, how to do business with the NTTA, and how to become M/WBE and DBE-certified.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet with NTTA's project delivery, information technology, purchasing, maintenance and business diversity staff.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden Center

Iris & Orchid Rooms

3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard

Fort Worth, Texas 76107

For additional information or to RSVP,
visit the NTTA website

NTTA Relationships and Opportunities Advancing Diversity (ROAD) Program Kick-off Event

June 27, 2013
6 to 7:30 p.m.

The NTTA implemented the ROAD Program that follows a mentor-protege model used by other transportation organizations in the country. The NTTA aims to increase diverse participation between disadvantaged, minority and women-owned enterprises (D/M/WBE) and prime contractors whereby each participant is given the opportunity to enhance their expertise.

You will find out the following:

Structure of the program
Requirements of each participant
Benefits of participation
Instructions for applying to the program
Information about program oversight and governance
Details about other NTTA business diversity initiatives and contracting opportunities

NTTA Boardroom

Suite 200

5900 West Plano Parkway

Plano, Texas 75093

For additional information,
contact the NTTA Business Diversity Department

POWER OF PARTNERING

Government Procurement Conference

July 24, 2013

12 to 6 p.m.

The Government Procurement Conference continues to be the most important and largest procurement conference in North Central Texas.

The main focus for the Conference in 2013 is to provide small businesses an opportunity to meet local, state and federal government buyers and their prime contractors.

Some of the event highlights:

Over 1,000 attendees at last year's conference
Local, state and federal government buyers
60 sponsored registrations for veteran / service disabled veteran owned businesses
Major prime contractors and their sub-contractors
Free, informative, technical breakout sessions
Buyer networking opportunities
Access to resource and assistance agencies

Hosted by: The University of Texas at Arlington, Cross Timbers Procurement Center, the SBDC for Enterprise Excellence and TMAC.

There are still opportunities to be a sponsor and exhibitor.

Arlington Convention Center

1501 Convention Center Dr.

Arlington, Texas 76011

Registration is open.