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POWER PARTNERS RECEIVES NATIONAL CERTIFICATION
AS A WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS
ATHENS, GA, December 8, 2003 - Power Partners Inc. announced today it has been certified as a woman-owned business by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and WBENC's partner, the Georgia Women's Business Council. The certification program increases the ability of women business owners to compete for contracts at a national level.
Power Partners manufacturers pole-type distribution transformers that help bring electric power to homes and businesses. Power Partners' co-founder and chairman Dr. Sherrie Ford is the majority owner of the company.
WBENC (pronounced wee-bank) is dedicated to enhancing opportunities for women's business enterprises in America's major business markets and eliminating barriers in the marketplace. The WBENC certification for women-owned businesses is one of the most widely recognized and respected certifications in the nation, accepted by more than 500 major corporations across the country and many federal and government agencies. For more information about WBENC, visit www.wbenc.org.
Criteria for WBENC certification include:
- Fifty-one percent ownership by a woman or women.
- Proof of effective management of the business (operating position, by-laws, hire-fire and other decision-making roles).
- Control of the business as evidenced by a signature role on loans, leases and contracts.
- U.S. citizenship or U.S. resident alien status.
"The WBENC certification provides a marketing opportunity for Power Partners to participate in supplier diversity programs," said Sherrie Ford, chairman and executive vice president of Culture for Power Partners. "Certification provides a number of important benefits to a company, including recognition by more than 500 major U.S. corporations as a certified WBE, access to a list of supplier diversity and procurement executives of more than 500 major U.S. corporations and other entities that accept WBENC's certification, and automatic inclusion in WBENC's Internet database of certified women-owned businesses that is accessible by WBENC's corporate members and selected government agencies."
"We also appreciate the opportunity to play an instrumental role in increasing awareness of the pivotal position held by America's 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. economy and the importance of these businesses achieving equity in procurement opportunities," Ford said.
A certified company helps its customers reach their supplier diversity goals. Federal, state and local governments mandate specific supplier diversity goals from organizations they do business with. Many companies that do not do business with the government nonetheless choose to pursue diversity supplier initiatives because they recognize that providing greater opportunities to women-owned suppliers that have traditionally been underrepresented in the corporate and public sectors is a valuable component of their corporate procurement, marketing and customer service strategies.
About Power Partners
Power Partners Inc. is a leading manufacturer of pole-type distribution transformers that help bring electric power to homes and businesses throughout the world. The company serves more than 3,000 utilities, manufacturing companies and energy producers in North America, Central America, Asia and other markets. Sherrie Ford and her partner, Steve Hollis, purchased the Athens, Georgia-based company from ABB in May 2003. For more information, visit www.powerpartners-usa.com.
About the Georgia Women's Business Council
The Georgia Women's Business Council (GWBC), a certifying partner organization of the WBENC, certifies bonafide women-owned business enterprises and promotes activities directed toward the development, establishment, expansion and encouragement of businesses owned by women. For more information, visit www.gwbc.biz.
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