NJAWBO Press Release - 14th Annual Business & Procurement Expo was a Success!

NEWS RELEASE

New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners
Windsor Business Park, Bldg. 4B
186 Princeton Hightstown Road
West Windsor, NJ 08550
Media contact: Elsa Reinhardt/ 201-807-1157

For Immediate Release

Women Business Owners Create Opportunities for New Jersey Entrepreneurs at Annual Business and Procurement Expo

Over 200 Business People Attend 14^th Annual Event Sponsored by the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners on April 19^th

WEST WINDSOR, N.J., April 25, 2012 -- Over 200 business people from throughout New Jersey came together on April 19^th, 2012 to explore the opportunities of doing business together within the state and beyond, at the 14^th annual Business and Procurement Expo hosted by the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO). The event was held at Pines Manor in Edison.

"Every year this event brings a positive energy to all who attend, and many new contacts are made,” said the event chair Elsa Reinhardt.

As the state's premier event for women-owned businesses, with a focus on those certified as women-owned and minority-owned businesses, the event opened with a panel of representatives from the utility, pharmaceutical, highway, construction, higher education sectors, and the State of New Jersey; the topic discussed was "Working on Winning Contract Opportunities.” The panel was moderated by Lori Matheus, managing director of finance and development for the NJ Economic Development Authority.

"These industries have defined processes for the revenue contracts,” noted Reinhardt, "and certification of all types helps business owners gain access to the opportunity.” She added that working with prime contractors is the key for small business owners to get contracts from larger corporations, and that these organizations are working hard to introduce their prime contractors to the smaller certified businesses groups to keep the cycle of business localized and create new revenue streams for certified business owners.

The expo portion of the event gave the attendees additional opportunities to meet vendors and learn about what goes into the various types of certification, what each business's procurement division process entails, and discover potential business sources.

Joe Connolly of WCBS NewsRadio 880 and the Wall Street Journal Report delivered the keynote address in which he talked about creating business opportunities. He shared his wisdom garnered from decades of interviewing thousands of business people, after which he led an interactive discussion with attendees. Key points he highlighted were the importance of expanding and refreshing one's business networks, secondary contacts that can bring new business, and maintaining energy and enthusiasm for one's enterprise.

Workshops led by NJAWBO members focused on social media education; the hands-on sessions provided a chance for participants to consider their social media strategy and gain insights into how to leverage social media networks for business with guidance from experts in the field. Pattie Simone, founder of WomenCentric.net, led a presentation that demonstrated how, with a clear strategy and targeted tactics, business owners can open a dialogue with their markets via social media platforms.

For the past 35 years NJAWBO has been dedicated to supporting women owned businesses by providing valuable programs such as this Procurement event. Their mission is and continues to be to Empower, Engage, and Energize Women Business Owners in New Jersey and help them take advantage of every opportunity to grow their businesses. For more information on NJAWBO visit us at http://www.njawbo.org/. For the 2013 Procurement Event, save the date of April 18, 2013!

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