THE PURPOSE OF BPWN:
The mission of the BPWN is to promote and enhance the professional
standing of women in Pitt County, North Carolina, by meeting the
needs of local business and professional women seeking to support
each other in business endeavors and by providing opportunities
for learning experiences for career and personal development.
HISTORY:
Women’s Network was born during the summer
of 1983. A small nucleus of women felt that Pitt County did not
have a forum for meeting one another and establishing connections
other than in one’s own professional specialty. Early discussions
of this concert were held by Karen Kale, a computer sales
professional, Terry Shank, Director of Cooperative Education at
PCC, and Dr. Penny Axelrod, President of Word for Word data
management. The initial Executive Committee was composed of Karen
Kale, Penny Axelrod, Katherine Vinson, Sandra Maness and Trish
Bynum. In 1991, the membership voted to affiliate with the
National Association of Female Executives.
The Women Business Owners organization was founded as an
informal group in 1986 by Louise B. Downing, Director of the Small
Business Center for Pitt Community College. The purpose of the
organization was to bring together a network of business women who
could assist each other in developing their skills of problem
solving, of negotiating, and of business management in order to
increase their individual companies’ ability to grow and prosper.
The second goal of the organization was to offer informational
seminars and meetings for women business owners. Marjorie Franck,
owner of Franck & Associates, and instructor for the Small
Business Center assisted Ms. Downing in developing meetings for
the WBO. Anne Sneed, President and CEO of Anne’s Temporaries, was
elected President of the newly formed group in 1987.
Over the years, it became evident that these two groups were
becoming increasingly similar. Many members belonged to both
organizations. In 2005, a committee was formed from members of
both WBO and WN to explore the feasibility of either combining the
two into one, having one dissolve and be absorbed into the other,
or forming a brand new entity. Members of this committee were June
Graves, Principal of Dukes and Graves, Ltd., Sharon Paoloni, owner
of The Final Touch, Janet Horton, owner of Island Jack’s Travel,
Mary Parsons, President of Parsons and Robinson Insurance, and
Jean Hall, co-owner of Frames by James. The membership of both
organizations voted in the summer of 2005 for form a new
organization, based on the recommendation of this committee. The
Business and Professional Women’s Network was established
on January 1, 2006.
In appreciation for their pioneering spirit, Louise McGinty,
Marjorie Franck and Barbara Siegfried are hereby recognized as
founders and architects of the newly formed organization.
Click here to read the BPWN By-Laws |
