NMBC'S WOMEN'S BUSINESS COMMITTEE HOLDS
ITS THIRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The gathering will focus on access
to critical resources and contracts

Wendy Lewis(Click photo for Bio)

(AANEWSWIRE)Sept. 28, 2005 (NEW YORK)--The Women's Business Committee of the National Minority Business Council, Inc., will hold its Third Annual Women's Business Conference on Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Bank of New York, 101 Barclay Street, New York City. Under the theme "Develop Your Blueprint: Get The Contract," the conference will address the unique issues that women entrepreneurs face in growing their companies. It is expected to attract some 250 attendees.

"Women business owners continue to struggle with the issue of access: access to capital, to decision makers, to resources and finally to contracts. The goal of this conference is to bring together diverse women business owners from various industries to outline and develop their business "blueprint" and to provide resources, tools and networking opportunities that will get them that access," said Shirley Singletary, chair of the Women's Business Committee (WBC) and president and CEO of Search World, Inc., a Long Island business management consulting, training and coaching firm. "It is our intention that each conference attendee leave with the embryo of their blueprint, an arsenal of resources and sharpened tools that they can use immediately," she said.

Keynote speaker Wendy Lewis, vice president of Strategic Recruitment and Diversity at Major League Baseball, will focus her remarks on "getting the contract." Senior New York city and state officials, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor George E. Pataki and senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, have been invited to address the conference. Leaders in the minority and women business communities who have confirmed their attendance include Bonnie Wong, president, Asian Women In Business; Quenia Abreu, founder and CEO, New York Women Chamber of Commerce; Marsha Firestone, president, Women President Educational Organization, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce; and Pam Robinson, business development specialist at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency.

"The NMBC, as always, is proud to be the parent organization of the WBC and its annual women's leadership conference. We see this conference as critical in meeting the business needs of women entrepreneurs in the areas of finance, procurement and access to decision makers. We congratulate the WBC's leadership in organizing this conference for the third consecutive year and we express our deepest appreciation to the Bank of New York for once again agreeing to be the title sponsor for this important event," said John F. Robinson, president and CEO of the NMBC.

The Bank of New York has been a staunch supporter of the WBC since the committee's inception in 2002. Claire P. Scanlon, the bank's vice president of vendor relations and chair of the WBC 2005 conference, said, "The Bank of New York is honored to sponsor this important conference. It is a testimony of our commitment to the growth and development of women-owned enterprises so that they become strong contributors to the economic growth of our communities."

Other sponsors of the conference are New York Power Authority, Commodore Construction, Marjam Supply Co., Korn Japanese Trading Corp., Insight Companies, Inc., Search World, Inc., Vera Moore Cosmetics, Altus Metal & Marble Services and Footsteps, LLC. Throughout the day, interactive workshops will cover such topics as leveraging your M/WBE certification, strategies for the global marketplace, joint venturing and succession planning. The program includes a continental breakfast buffet and corporate luncheon.

Gregory L. Reid, Esq., chairman of the NMBC Board of the Directors and managing director of the law firm Reid, Rodriguez & Rouse, LLP, said, "The Women's Business Conference is one of the foremost showcases for the talents and creative energies of women entrepreneurs in New York City. We fervently desire that all who can attend this important event do so to share the success and achievements of these remarkable individuals." Advanced registration for the conference is required and must be done on line at www.nmbc.org, or by mail after downloading the registration form from the Web site.

The NMBC, an advocacy and business development organization founded in 1972, offers a host of programs and services for the minority and woman-owned businesses community. For further information about the conference, please contact John F. Robinson or Shirley Singletary at (212) 997-4753, or nmbc@msn.com.
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