 
About Us
Who We Are: The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) is a nationally and internationally recognized not-for-profit organization established in 1986 to work with women to launch new businesses and strengthen existing businesses in the Chicago area. Over the past 20 years, the WBDC has become a leader in providing direct services to women business owners and in effecting public policy changes which reflect the needs of women entrepreneurs and their families. Over the past two decades, the WBDC has grown from a two-woman operation to a full-time staff of 27, which, along with a team of talented consultants, serve over 3,000 women annually. The WBDC’s business development services are so well recognized that 15 other organizations across the nation have used the WBDC as a model for their own efforts.
What We Do: The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) is committed to providing a high-quality, full-service approach to working with our clients. WBDC services are available in Spanish and English, and include business assessments, loan packaging, public and private sector procurement assistance, classes/workshops, and individualized counseling on all aspects of business development, management, and strategy. The WBDC also provides assistance to develop home- and center-based child care businesses. In addition, the WBDC offers a nationally recognized certification for Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) and is active in advocacy issues related to women-owned businesses on the local, state, and federal levels.
The core programs that the Women’s Business Development Center offers to assist women start and grow their own businesses include:
- One-on-one counseling in various critical areas of small business ownership including entrepreneurial aptitude, the basics of business start-up, legal issues, marketing and sales strategies, financial analysis and assistance. Over 70 women per month clients received counseling.
- Entrepreneurial training including a 12-week workshop series and the five-session monthly JumpStart Your Business and other workshops such as “High-Impact Marketing,” “Legal Issues for Small Business,” “Reestablishing Your Credit,” and others as needs are identified in the communities.
- Access to financial technical assistance & credit. The Finance Assistance Program develops and reviews business plans, delivers hands-on assistance on the whole array of financial documents necessary to obtain capital and to plan business growth, and packages loans ranging from $1,000 to $1.2 million and provides in-depth financial workshops.
- Access to unique business growth opportunities: The 20th Annual Entrepreneurial Woman's Conference and Women's Business and Buyers Mart will be held on September 27 & 28, 2006. In 2005 over 2,000 people attended the conference. Over 130 corporations, government agencies and women owned businesses exhibited at the Women's Business and Buyers Mart.
- Access to Women’s Business Enterprise certification and procurement opportunities: The WBDC Chicago is the Women's Business Enterprise National Council’s oldest and largest certifying partner. Of all the Women’s Business Organization Partners (WBOPs), the WBDC Chicago certified the most WBEs in 2004 – over 800. Over 800 women are certified annually.
- Advocating for women’s economic development. The WBDC works with local and nationally organized community economic development coalitions and organizations to strengthen women’s economic independence and empowerment and business ownership.
Our Goals: The Women’s Business Development Center’s goals have not changed since the organization’s inception in 1986. Our goals are to:
- accelerate the rate of growth of women’s business and microenterprise ownership;
- increase the economic impact of women owned businesses – on both families and communities;
- increase awareness of business ownership as a viable means of economic self-sufficiency, and
- stimulate public policy and system changes which support and strengthen women’s economic impact.
Nationally and internationally recognized for its responsive, innovative, and effective programs and advocacy efforts, the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) delivers empowering business services to women seeking economic self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship.
As the organization has grown and matured, it has developed a highly expert staff and roster of trainers, a powerful board of directors representing entrepreneurs and community leaders, and an infrastructure designed to handle deliberate programmatic and organizational expansion. The WBDC has assisted over 50,000 women in the greater Chicago area, has helped establish 14 other women’s business assistance centers across the nation, and has been featured at international forums as a model for 21st century support for women entrepreneurs.
2006 marked the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). The Women's Business Development Center has earned a reputation for quality, comprehensive, and responsive programming and support for prospective, emerging and established women business owners. The WBDC was recognized by BP (formerly BP Amoco) for its excellence in program development and delivery and was awarded the prized Leadership Award
The WBDC is grateful to its stellar Board of Directors for its advice, counsel and support.
Laurel B. Bellows, Principal
Bellows and Bellows, P.C.
Linda Chaplik Harris, Vice Chair, WBDC Board
Partner, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
Allison Chung, President
TeamWerks Risa R. Davis, Regional Business Banking Manager Citibank, Illinois
Emilia Dimenco, Executive Vice President
Business Banking
Harris Bank
Debra Jennings Johnson, Chair, WBDC Board
Director, Supplier Diversity
BP America
Cynthia J. Johnson, President
Johnson & Associates Business Interiors, Inc
Mary A. Laraia, Group Senior Vice President
Civic & Community Development
LaSalle Bank N.A.
Norma Lauder, Chair, Audit Committee, WBDC Board
Director, MS Tax Program, University of Illinois
Jeanne Mandoza, District Controller
UPS
Pam McDonough, Secretary/Treasurer, WBDC Board
Chief Executive Officer
DeAngelo/McDonough Construction Management Company
Sandra Rand, Supplier Diversity Manager, Strategic Sourcing,
United Airlines
Arabel Alva Rosales, President,
A. Alva Rosales & Associates
Shelley Stern, Community Affairs Director
Microsoft Corporation
Client Impact
The WBDC conducted an in-depth client follow-up survey in 2006 and found that:
- 75% of women surveyed believed that the WBDC workshop/counseling helped them to start a business, expand a business and increase productivity/profitability.
- 84% have had revenue/sales growth of at least 5-10%
- WBDC closed 35 loans in the total amount of $3,346,162.
Accomplishments
Since opening our doors in 1986 the WBDC has...
- Taught more than 50,000 women entrepreneurs practical business skills through one-on-one counseling and training workshops.
- Successfully implemented a bilingual (Spanish/English) initiative to assist Latinas with business development.
- Helped women-owned businesses win over $250 million in government and private sector contracts.
- Facilitated over $35,000,000 in loans.
- Made an impact on the quantity and quality of child care businesses in the Chicago area by training and counseling hundreds of women through our Child Care Business Initiative and annual Child Care Business Expo and Child Care Business Microloan program.
- Launched the Asian American Women Business Initiative with Women's Bureau, Department of Labor and Asian American alliance to assist Asian women back into entrepreneurship.
- Provided, through its Tech and Venture progragm, resources and equity venture capital to develop and expand women’s high-growth businesses.
- Organized 2003 Springboard Midwest Women’s Venture Forum to assist women run businesses with venture capital.
- Successfully implemented our 20th Anniversary Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference hosting over 2,000 participants.
- provided financial literacy training in economically disadvantaged communities.
- monitored local and national issues that affect women business owners and advocate for changes in public policy, governmental regulations, and laws nationally, internationally and locally in the state of Illinois
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