Demonstration Program

DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM 8-95 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Women's Business Ownership More than 47,000 women have benefited from the Demonstration Program's training and counseling. Many of the success stories born in these centers herald true economic development--new jobs, increased earning potential and a larger pool of skilled entrepreneurs. There are currently 54 sites in 28 states and the District of Columbia; all the centers offer financial, management, marketing and technical assistance to current and potential women business owners and each center tailors its style and offerings to the particular needs of its community. Some sites target minorities such as Native American, African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American populations. From a Report to Congress completed on March 1992 by the National Academy of Public Administration (a national federal program evaluator), "During the... years of assessing the effectiveness of projects throughout the United States, the Academy panel and project staff found these organizations... to be dynamic groups whose services are making a difference for the women who used them." They concluded that the projects could be strong components of local economic development strategies. The Women's Demonstration Program was established through the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 and was reauthorized through the Women's Business Development Act of 1991. Administered by the SBA's Office of Women's Business Ownership, it establishes centers around the country to train and counsel women in the skills necessary to launch their own businesses. In particular, the program targets socially and economically disadvantaged women. A number of the sites have developed a loan-pool based on the Grameen Bank model. The loan pool allows participating members to borrow money based on group consensus accompanied by long-term counseling and financial/management training. U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Women's Business Ownership's Demonstration Program Women's Business Centers 409 3rd Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20416 202/205-6673 Assistant Administrator Sherrye Henry COTR Harriet Fredman ALABAMA Women's Business Assistance Center Kathryn Cariglino, Director 1301 Azalea Road, Suite 111-A Mobile, AL 36693 205/660-2725 205/660-8854 Fax Mailing address: P.O. Box 6021, Mobile, AL 36660 ARIZONA National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development Vera Pooyouma, Marilyn Andrews, Steven L.A. Stallings 953 East Juanita Avenue Mesa, AZ 85204 602/831-7524 602 491-1332 Fax serving Arizona, Washington and California CALIFORNIA American Woman's Economic Development Corporation (AWED) Phil Borden, Regional Director 100 West Broadway, Suite 500 Long Beach, CA 90802 310/983-3747 310/983-3750 Fax American Woman's Economic Development Corporation (AWED) Linda Harasin, Acting Executive Director 2301 Campus Drive, Suite 20 Irvine, CA 92715 714/474-2933 714/474-7416 Fax WEST Company (Not Funded) Parent Organization to WEST Co. in Fort Bragg, CA Sheilah Rogers, Director 367 North State Street, Suite 206 Ukiah, CA 95482 707/468-3553 707/462-8945 Fax WEST Company-A Women's Economic Self-Sufficiency Training Program Carol Steele 340 North Main Street Fort Bragg, CA 95437 707/964-7571 707/961-1340 Fax Women's Initiative for Self Employment (WISE) (Not Funded) Parent Organization for WISE in Oakland, CA Etienne LeGrand, Executive Director 450 Mission Street, Suite 402 San Francisco, CA 94102 415/247-9473 415/247-9471 Fax WISE Oakland Helen Branham, Project Director 519 17th Street, Suite 520 Oakland, CA 94612 510/208-9473 510/208-9471 Fax Women Business Owners Corporation Kathleen Schwallie 18 Encanto Drive Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 310/530-0582 310/530-1483 Fax COLORADO Mi Casa Business Center for Women (BCW) Luz Cofresi-Howe, Wendy Krajewski-Kenar 571 Galapago Street Denver, CO 80204 303/573-1302 303/595-0422 Fax CONNECTICUT American Woman's Economic Development Corporation (AWED) Fran Polak, Connecticut Manager 2001 W. Main Street, Suite 140 Stamford, CT 06902 203/326-7914 203/326-7916 Fax DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA American Woman's Economic Development Corporation (AWED) Susan Bari, Regional Director 1250 24th Street, N.W., Room 120 Washington, DC 20037 202/857-0091 202/223-2775 Fax FLORIDA Women's Business Development Center Christine Kurtz-White, Director Florida International University, OET-3 Miami, FL 33199 305/348-3951, 3903 305/348-2931 Fax GEORGIA Coalition of 100 Black Women Leah Creque-Harris, Project Director The Candler Building Atlanta, GA 30303 404/659-4008 404/659-3001 Fax ILLINOIS Women's Business Development Center (Not Funded) Parent Organization for WBDC Florida Linda Darragh, Hedy Ratner, Co-Directors 8 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 400 Chicago, IL 60603 312/853-3477 312/853-0145 Fax LOUISIANA Women Entrepreneurs for Economic Development Inc. (WEED) Paula Pete 817 N. Claiborne Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 504/827-1066 504/949-8885 Fax Southeast Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce (works with WEED) Valentine Pierce 1600 Canal Street, Suite 606 New Orleans, LA 70112 504/539-9450(1) 504/539-9499 Fax MASSACHUSETTS Center for Women & Enterprise, Inc. Andrea Silbert, Susan Hammond 45 Bromfield Street, Sixth Floor Boston, MA 02108 617/423-3001 617/423-2444 Fax MAINE Coastal Enterprises, Inc. Ellen Golden P.O. Box 268 Wiscasset, ME 04578 207/882-7552 207/882-7308 Fax MICHIGAN Ann Arbor Community Development Corporation Michelle Vasquez 2008 Hogback Road, Suite 2A Ann Arbor, MI 48105 313/677-1400 313/677-1465 Fax EXCEL! Carol Lopucki, Executive Director % Prangley, Marks & Co. Bridgewater Place, 11th Floor Grand Rapids, MI 49504 616/458-4783 616/774-9081 Fax EXCEL! Midwest Women Business Owners Development Team Mary Burt, Executive Director 600 W. Lafayette Detroit, MI 48226 313/961-4748 313/961-5434 Fax MINNESOTA Bi-County Community Action Programs, Inc. Lucille Moe, Kimberle Nagle, Anne McGill P.O. Box 579 Bemidji, MN 56601 218/751-4631 218/751-8452 Fax Women's Business Center White Earth Reservation Tribal Council Mary Turner, Director North Main Street P.O. Box 478 Mahnomen, MN 56557 218/935-2827 218/935-2390 Fax MISSISSIPPI National Council of Negro Women Eleanor Hinton-Hoytt 10001 G Street, N.W., Suite 800 Washington, DC 20001 202/628-0015 x20 202/628-0233 Fax to service rural Mississippi MISSOURI NAWBO of St. Louis Irina Bronstein, Project Director 222 S. Bemiston, Suite 216 St. Louis, MO 63105 314/863-0046 314/863-2079 Fax MONTANA Montana Women's Capital Fund Kelly Flaherty 54 North Last Chance Gulch Helena, MT 59624 406/443-3144 406/442-1789 Fax Women's Opportunity & Resource Development Inc. Kelly Rosenleaf, Director Rosalie Cates, Project Director 127 N. Higgins Missoula, MT 59802 406/543-3550 406/721-4584 Fax NEVADA Nevada Self-Employment Trust Janice Barbour, Director Marguerite Mathis, Project Director 560 Mill Street Reno, NV 89502 702/329-6789 702/329-6738 Fax NEW JERSEY New Jersey NAWBO EXCEL Harriet Nazarete, Project Director 120 Finderne Avenue Bridgewater, NJ 08807 908/707-0173 908/707-1213 Fax NEW MEXICO Women's Economic Self-Sufficiency Team (WESST Corp.) Agnes Noonan, Executive Director 414 Silver Southwest Albuquerque, NM 87102 505/848-4760 505/848-2368 Fax WESST Corp. Taos, NM Yolanda Nunez, Project Director Taos County Economic Development P.O. Box 1389 Taos, NM 87571 505/758-3099 505/758-8153 Fax NEW YORK American Woman's Economic Development Corporation (Not Funded) Parent Organization to AWED Washington DC and CT Suzanne Tufts, President and CEO 71 Vanderbilt Avenue, Suite 320 New York, NY 10169 212/692-9100 212/688-2718 Fax Asian American Professional Women Inc. Mei Chan, Bonnie Wong 125 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10013 212/966-7888 212/966-8988 Fax NORTH DAKOTA Women's Business Institute Penny Retzer, Director 901 Page Drive Fargo, ND 58106 701/235-6488 701/235-8284 Fax OHIO Ohio Women's Business Resource Network (OWBRN) Mary Ann McClure, Coordinator 77 South High Street, 28th Floor Columbus, OH 43266 614/466-2682 614/466-0829 Fax Chamber Women's Business Initiative Linda Steward, Director 37 North High Street Columbus, OH 43215 614/225-6082 614/469-8250 Fax Women's Development Center Tina Macon, Director 300 N. Abbe Road Elyria, OH 44035 216/366-0770 216/366-0769 Fax Enterprise Center/Women's Business Center Betty Reese, Coordinator 129 E. Main Street Hillsboro, OH 45133 513/393-9599 513/393-8159 Fax Northwest Ohio Women's Entrepreneurial Network Linda Fayerweather, Director, Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce 300 Madison Avenue, Suite 200 Toledo, OH 43604 419/243-8191 419/241-8302 Fax Women Entrepreneurs Inc. (not funded by SBA) Peg Moertl, Executive Director Bartlett Building 36 East 4th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 mailing address: P.O. Box 2662, Cincinnati, OH 45201 513/684-0700 513/665-2052 Fax EMPOWER Pyramid Career Services Andrea Zalantis, Director 2400 Cleveland Avenue NW Canton, OH 44709 216/453-3767 216/453-6079 Fax Women's Business Resource Program of S.E. Ohio Debra McBride, Project Director Technology & Enterprise Building, Suite 190 20 East Circle Drive Athens, OH 45701 614/593-1797 614/593-1795 Fax Women's Entrepreneurial Growth Organization (WEGO) (not funded by SBA) Susan Hale, Director 58 West Center Street Akron, OH 44309 mailing address: P.O. Box 544, Akron, OH 44309 216/535-9346 216/535-4523 Fax Women's Network, Inc. Marlene Miller, Director of Mentoring Programs 1540 West Market Street, Suite 100 Akron, OH 44313 216/864-5636 216/864-6526 Fax OKLAHOMA Working Women's Money University Lori Smith 3501 NW 63rd, Suite 609 Oklahoma City, OK 73116 405/842-1196 405/842-5067 Fax OREGON Southern Oregon Women's Access to Credit Mary O'Kief 33 North Central, Suite 410 Medford, OR 97510 503/779-3992 503/779-3992 Fax PENNSYLVANIA National Association of Women Business Owners Pittsburgh Carmelle Nickens, Director 5604 Solway Street, Suite 207 Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412/521-4735 x4736 412/521-4737 Fax Women's Business Development Center Geri Swift, Ellen Fisher 8 Station Lane Philadelphia, PA 19118 215/248-7999 215/248-1846 or 610/446-2607 Fax SOUTH DAKOTA Watertown Area Career Learning Center Ann Taecker, Kay Tschakert P.O. Box 81 Watertown, SD 57201 605/235-6488 605/235-8284 Fax TEXAS Center for Women's Business Enterprise Susan Spencer, Austin Site Coordinator 508 Ladin Lane Austin, TX 78734 512/261-8525 512/261-8525 Fax Center for Women's Business Enterprise (CWBE) Linda Schneider, Coordinator 2425 West Loop South, Suite 1004 Houston, TX 77027 713/552-1267 713/578-7061 Fax North Texas Women's Business Development Center, Inc. Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development Kay Cole, Project Director Lou Bettes, Billie Bryant, Sharon Venable, Heather Day Ballinger 1402 Corinth Street Dallas, TX 75215-2111 214/855-4378 214/855-4378 Fax UTAH Utah Technology Finance Corporation Susan Bastian 177 East 100 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111 801/364-4346 801/364-4361 Fax WISCONSIN Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WBIC) Wendy K. Werkmeister, President 3112 West Highland Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 53208 414/933-3231 414/933-2515 Fax Wisconsin Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. 2830 North 48th Street Milwaukee, WI 53210 414/358-9290 or 1-800-993-8663