A now a word from our participants

The blog has been quiet for a few days as we finished up in Baltimore and headed home (to rest up and then start following up on contacts and leads made on the trip.)

Friday was a travel day for most of us. All in all, it was an excellent week jam-packed with networking, learning and so much more. I could go on and on, but perhaps you’d prefer to read some of our delegates’ impressions of the conference …

Here's what Theresa Williams of Atwood Consulting Group Ltd. had to say ....

"We analyze and manage corporate Information Technology changes so clients can focus on the business and not be distracted by technical difficulties. We have provided services to companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Allstream and Dartfish SA in Switzerland.

The Women in Business National Conference in Baltimore showed great promise from day one. I was paired with a WEConnect US buddy, Beverly White, who also owns and operates a management consulting company in the US called BKW Transformation Group. Beverley and I feel like we have known each other for years and we are already discussing partnering opportunities.

In addition, a lady from Cisco approached me and we are going to connect after the conference to discuss how my corporation may be able to provide services to Cisco."

This was a great opportunity to meet like-minded women business owners, connect with corporations seeking suppliers to meet their diversity goals, and have a little fun in the beautiful city of Baltimore."

Sounds like you had a successful trip Theresa!

Thursday update

It was so busy I'm just now getting to post- it’s hard to believe that today’s the last day of the conference. 

Comfy shoes were a must, then again, perhaps roller skates might have been a better plan for yesterday and today. 

The exhibit hall officially opened Wed.  and there was lots to see with more than 350 exhibitors!  The conference even has an online tool so that you can view the schedules and trade show map, select the sessions you plan to attend, the exhibits you want to see, the exhibitor appointments you make and much more. 

The Atlantic delegates were busy meeting with exhibitors and taking in the sessions.  Here at the conference, organizers offer MatchMaker Meetings  that connect WBENC-certified Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs) and corporate purchasing officials for private face-to-face meetings to discuss potential opportunities.  This is a lucrative tool for women to be able to get into the supply chain. 

WEConnect had a large booth in the exhibit hall today.  This was our home base for the day.  The Centre for Women in Business and our delegates’ businesses were represented here.

For some of our delegates, this evening will be travel time as they’re attending the Fancy Foods Show in New York.  For the rest of us there’s a tribute dinner this evening.  And then tomorrow it’s time to bid farewell to Baltimore and return home to followup on all of the leads and contacts we’ve made here this week.

It's been a successful week, that's for sure.

A participant's perspective

A quick email from Judith Richardson about her experience to date ...

Having Government officials here is a wonderful boost of support as we explore potential, possibility and taking our businesses to the next level.

wonderful Canadian delegation gathering -- meeting women from across the country and we are known as the Eastern Canada Mafia as we arrive in a crowd. It is wonderful as wherever we go you walk in and know somebody!! Networking began and continued on the International Delegate gathering on board the USS Constitution - wonderful to be in the midst of history.

 

Inspiring to sit and discuss business with women from India. As our business has already worked globally - I can easily see opportunities in the future. Also getting to know the other Atlantic Canadian women is fantastic and we are discovering more linkages with each other. Also more about each other's businesses - this evening I was meeting people and taking them to meet an Atlantic Canadian colleague who I thought was a match -- love collaboration!

 

Came back to the hotel with over 20 good contacts tonight -- and looking forward to tomorrow.

Thank good for breezes and air conditioning as going up to 100 degrees tomorrow.
- Judi

Monday's recap

Things are heating up in Baltimore (and I don't just mean the weather ... although it is close to 100 degrees today!)

Yesterday was busy, hot and humid (95 plus in the shade). We started our day overlooking the Baltimore harbour in the WTC. DFAIT hosted a Canadian delegation session for about 60 wbo's from across Canada. Although Atlantic Canada had strength in numbers for our region, we had the opportunity to sit and get to know Caroline Lai, CEO of Dowster Ltd, the only participant from Alberta. 

 

Theresa Williams, Atwood Consulting, introduced us to her US buddy, Beverly White, President of BKW Transformation Group. Theresa and Beverly both commented how it seemed they had known each other forever although they had just met a couple of hours earlier. Their similar businesses made for a lot of discussion and great contacts for both of them in the US and Canada. 

 

Joy Playford, BDC, reminded the group the answer to HOW? is YES! and provided each of us with an "ink the deal" pen. BDC will be onsite for the conference in case women business owners (wbo's) need to discuss financing options to be able to access global supply chains and international markets. 

 

Judy Brandt, Summit Insight, provided a lively presentation on the opportunities for selling to the US government. This presented opportunities for several of our wbo's and we will definitely be following up with this information. The last order of the day was a brief introduction of everyone in the room. it is amazing how diverse our wbo's businesses are and the strength we have in numbers. To date, there are 80 certified wbo's in Canada (Judith Richardson being our first in NS!!!) and 40 in process.

WBENC briefing session was very interesting. Our first introduction to Linda Denny, President and CEO of WBENC. I got a chance to meet with Linda at the International Reception and thanked her for making the Atlantic Canadian delegation feel so special and all of her and her staff's help leading up to the conference.

International reception - even thought it was hovering around 95f, the deck of the USS Constellation was abuzz with conversation from international delegates from Canada, UK, China and India. The Indian delegation was so delightful and the twelve delegates represented women business owners in the education, technical and science sectors. I was pleased to meet Archana Bhatnagar, President, Mahakaushal Association of Women Entrepreneurs, Jabalpur, India www.maweindia.com and Chari of Model Industrial Training Institute the President of their local women business organization.

The conference is a great networking opportunity and we are here to build relationships that will lead to future business opportunities. The upcoming three days will give us major exposure to national corporations wanting to do business with wbo's!

 

 

 

Baltimore Arrival - Let the Connections Begin!

Did everyone see Chris Lambie's article in Saturday's Chronicle Herald with photo of Sarah Crawley?  Great coverage for the mission and the three Nova Scotia companies on the mission: The Soap Girl, Pono Consultants International and Fairwinds Training.  




At last we’re on the ground here in Baltimore!

Sunday was a travel day for most of us, with a number of the group travelling down together. After getting settled into our hotels we attended the group dinner for Canadian delegates. It was a good opportunity to meet the rest of the Canadians here for the conference.

Today all of the Canadian delegates are attending an education session. After that it’s off to the conference to register and attend the orientation for “first timers”. This is an important session because it will help prepare us to maximize our time at the trade show and in the educational sessions. Time management will be critical with more than 350 exhibitor booths to see and 6 streams of workshops available.

The highlight of the day will be this evening’s International delegates’ reception aboard the USS Constellation! More details on that tomorrow for sure and hopefully some photos too!

On the Way to Baltimore

The excitement is building as the day of departure draws near.  There seems to have been just as much work to get ready to go as there will be once we’re in Baltimore.   The delegates are preparing their pitches to potential contacts, getting packed and ready to leave.  For the past month the women have been working one-to-one with consultants to develop their in-market strategies

Here at the Centre, we’ve been preparing too.  That’s meant we’ve been practicing our elevator pitch and identifying exhibitors and attendees that we’d like to meet while at the conference  (because we’ll be looking to meet with organizations while we’re at the conference to build connections.)  Our communications manager’s been getting our marketing materials ready to go so that we’ll be able to profile the Centre as well as our mission delegates at the show. 

Most of us will be arriving there on Sunday.  Be sure to check back on Monday when the activities get underway.

Participant Profiles Part 2

Profiles of more of our in-market experience delegates ....

Certified HR professional Brenda Fair is the principal/owner of Fairwinds Training and Development Inc.in Waverley, Nova Scotia. The company offers customized programs for personal and organizational development to clients throughout Canada and beyond.  www.fairwindstraining.com

Bernadette Allen is the president of Future Learning Inc., a Charlottetown-based learning solutions company that provides customized, innovative adult learning strategies for a wide range of local, national and international organizations.  www.futurelearning.com

Ruth Grady’s company Northern Abrasives Inc. has been supplying the retail market with sandpaper products since 1997.  Coated abrasives for drywall, auto, rental and industrial applications, and bonded abrasives for metalworking, masonry and stone applications, are just a few of this Summerside, PEI company’s offerings.  www.northernabrasives.ca

There are two delegates on the mission coming from Newfoundland & Labrador:

Hilda Broomfield Letemplier is president of Pressure Pipe Steel Fabrication Ltd in Happy Valley-Goose Bay that provides welding and steel fabrication services, as well as several pipe and steel products.

June Alteen is the owner and operator of More for Less Foods Ltd.  in Cornerbrook, NL that provides quality baking ingredients and unique ingredients that are unavailable in mainstream food outlets. www.moreforlessfoods.ca

Meet the participants - Part 1

The group of 9 women business owners going on the mission are as varied in the products and services they offer.

Bettie Arseneault offers consulting services in a number of fields: international marketing, arts and culture, agriculture and food, and international development. Thanks to her broad experience in these different sectors and to her accomplishments in the artistic field, she is very open-minded and creative, and is therefore able to provide companies and organizations with innovative solutions to their marketing challenges.  Services include: project management, marketing research and niche market research, market studies, business and marketing plans, and new product development. http://bettiearseneault.wordpress.com

Theresa Williams from Miramichi, NB is the owner and CEO of Atwood Consulting Group Ltd. & Atwood Relationship Services Inc. Atwood Consulting Group is a management consulting and outsourcing company offering a wide range of business services, including: business management, project management, sales and marketing, technology management, operations management, and human resources marketing.  Atwood Relationship Services Inc. (Atwood RSI) is an exciting early stage startup company looking to revolutionize the online dating space.  www.atwoodgroup.ca

  

Judith Richardson is the president and CEO of PONO Consultants International Inc., a professional services strategic consulting and coaching agency specializing in assisting leaders, teams and entrepreneurs around the world to accelerate growth in their organizations and themselves.  www.ponoconsultants.com

The Soap Girl is a Canadian-based bath and beauty company created in 1999 by then stay-at-home mom,   

Sarah Crawley.  The company is popular for its whimsical packaging and fresh fragrances and its products are favourite items at numerous gift shows in eastern Canada. The Soap Girl products strike a chord with busy women who demand affordable, luxurious and natural products for those few stolen moments. The company’s line of bath and beauty products includes body butters, masques, shea butters and sugar scrubs.

All the ingredients are natural and organically-infused and have been sourced internationally from Canada to as far as India and Africa. Sarah also looks for ingredients that have been ethically produced, such as fair-trade sugar and ensures all ingredients are Paraben free, Phthalate free, Sodium Lauryl/Laureth free as well as cruelty free and dye free.    www.thesoapgirl.ca

Stay tuned for more introductions tomorrow …

The WBENC Conference

Well, here it is Monday already.  We're busily preparing for next week's departure.

The delegation will attend the WBENC conference, the largest conference and trade fair of its kind dedicated to women business owners.  This will provide an opportunity to connect with major American corporations looking to do business with women entrepreneurs, as well as to create alliances with other women business owners to secure new markets.

So what is the WBENC conference?

The WBENC Conference will take place June 22-24 in Baltimore, Maryland 

With more than 2,500 attendees and as many as 350 exhibitors, WBENC’s 2010 Women in Business (WIB2010) National Conference and Business Fair: The Opportunity Connection is the largest event of its kind in the US for women business owners.  America’s leading corporations and federal government agencies, committed to doing business with WBEs, will join WBEs from across the nation as WIB2010 sponsors, exhibitors and attendees.  WIB2010 activities are plentiful and offer a wide variety of opportunities to learn, network, and share. WBEs, senior corporate executives, supplier diversity and procurement professionals, and government representatives will connect to foster many business opportunities by participating in a packed agenda that includes networking activities, workshops, general sessions, special events and the business fair.

Why attend WBENC conference?
What better place to get "real world" experience than at the largest supplier diversity conference of it's kind...especially since it's specifically targeted towards women business owners. Better yet, by travelling with the group, participants have a number of advisors (I guess you could gall us the "Go to Ladies") with them should they have questions or concerns.
 

Be sure to check back tomorrow when we start to introduce you to the dynamic group of Atlantic women business owners going on the in-market mission to Baltimore…

Export for Success - An In-Market Mission Experience

A group of Atlantic women business owners are about to depart for Baltimore, Maryland to take part in an “in-market experience”. Export for Success is a project of the Centre for Women in Business, with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and TD Canada Trust Small Business Banking. This trade mission, June 20-24 is intended to introduce women new to exporting or thinking about exporting, that have built strong businesses in Atlantic Canada and want to grow further through exporting their products or services. The project is intended to increase their knowledge and confidence, provide training and expose them to new opportunities related to exporting, and in particular looking at tapping into large supply chains as a way to grow their businesses.


So why are we blogging?

The Centre for Women in Business at Mount Saint Vincent University is committed to helping women start and grow their businesses. Export, and specifically supplier diversity, are two strategies by which a business can expand. We decided that for those aren’t going on the in-market mission, but have an interest in finding out more about supplier diversity and what an “in-market mission” is all about, that we would blog about our experiences.

We, Tanya Priske and Gordia Macdonald, are the Centre’s project representatives on this mission. As the project manager, Tanya’s been responsible for developing the program and recruiting the participants. With an extensive background in economic development and program development/delivery, this project was an exciting opportunity for her to broaden the Centre’s reach beyond Nova Scotia. Gordia is a growth-focused business advisor with the Centre. As the first person in Canada to be certified as an assessor for WEConnect Canada's certification program, Gordia is very familiar with supply diversity and works closely with women business owners seeking to become certified.

What is WEConnect Canada?

WEConnect Canada is a Canadian non-profit organization that is opening doors to new supply chains. It certifies firms that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by women and connects them with the growing global demand for diverse and innovative suppliers. It is the Canadian equivalent of the US’s WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council).

Over the course of the next couple of weeks we’ll take you along with us as we prepare for and travel to Baltimore, Maryland for the WBENC conference. We’ll try and give you a taste of what it’s like “on the ground” during a mission by relating the activities that we take part in and the experiences of the women business owners that are participating in Export for Success.

More on Monday …