The Women Presidents' Organization
Company: The Women Presidents' Organization, New York, NY U.S.A
Company Description: The Women Presidents' Organization is a non profit peer advisory organization with the mission to improve business conditions for women entrepreneurs and promote the acceptance and advancement of women entrepreneurs in all industries through a peer advisory model.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Women's Business Association of the Year
Nomination Title: The Women Presidents' Organization
Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated association during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):
The Women Presidents’ Organization is a non-profit organization with the mission
to improve business conditions for women entrepreneurs and promote the
acceptance and advancement of women entrepreneurs in all industries. The WPO was
formed in 1997 when Marsha Firestone, Ph.D. found that there was no organization
available to continually support women entrepreneurs who had grown their
business beyond the startup phase. The organization, which is based on the
foundation that peer advisory is one of the most effective learning tools for
women entrepreneurs growing a business, now has 1,400 members and 65
professionally trained Chapter Chairs. In monthly meetings across four
continents (Europe, North America, South America and Africa), members meet to
share, learn, discuss and grow.
The WPO has contributed to the advancement of women in business in the media. In
the article in Smart Business Magazine
(http://www.sbnonline.com/Local/Article/19450/70/0/Leading_the_way.aspx) Marsha
explains the disparity of recognition of women in the media. For this reason,
the WPO started the annual listing of the 50 Fastest Growing Women Owned/Led
Companies in North America. This list received significant recognition and press
for 50 women entrepreneurs.
In the past year the WPO has launch 8 new chapters to add to the 90 current
chapters, included members in over 30 articles or placements in the media,
created social media forums on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for women
entrepreneurs to grow and learn from each other and was voted in the top 35
women in business blogs by AwardingTheWeb.com.
The Women Presidents’ Organization is proud to continue in its 13th year of
helping and supporting women entrepreneurs in their individual quests of
breaking through barriers with the common goal of attaining success in business
and life.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
Smart Business: Reaching the Zenith
http://www.sbnonline.com/National/Columnists/19819/1072/Reaching_the_Zenith.aspx
Florida Trend: Making Connections Through Peer Groups
http://www.floridatrend.com/article.asp?aID=53146
Your Workplace: Peerspectives
http://womenpresidentsorg.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/peerspective1.pdf
Canadian Technology and Business: At The Top of Their Game
http://womenpresidentsorg.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/ctb.pdf
Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women: Woman-Owned Businesses Retaining
Their Employees in Tough Economy
http://womenpresidentsorg.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/ieew.pdf
Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated association (up to 100 words):
Dr. Marsha Firestone is the Founder and President of the Women Presidents’
Organization (WPO), which began in 1997 as a peer advisory organization for
women who own multi-million dollar businesses. She is also the Founder and
President of the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization, dedicated to
increasing access to business opportunities for women’s business enterprises
(WBEs). Dr. Firestone previously served as Vice President of Women Incorporated
and as Vice President of Training and Counseling at the American Woman’s
Economic Development Corporation (AWED). In 1998, Dr. Firestone was the
Executive Director of The Women’s Economic Summit. She led the development of a
master plan for accelerating the growth of women’s businesses, which was
presented to Congress and the public in March 1999.