The Ohio River Valley provides a national, premier WBENC certification to women owned companies in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Major corporations and government agencies utilize the WBENC organization as a clearinghouse for women suppliers seeking procurement opportunities. Currently, over 500 women owned companies are certified through our region:
- Ohio - 438 Women Companies
- Kentucky - 72 Women Companies
- West Virginia - 12 Women Companies
Benefits Of Our Certification
- National recognition by thousands of major U.S. corporations and several public agencies as a certified WBE.
- B2B opportunities with other WBEs via networking and database access.
- Procurement inquiries by governmental and private entities that utilize WBE database to access potential vendors.
- Ohio River Valley Women’s Business Council’s networking opportunities both internal and external.
- Advocacy of women owned businesses to major corporations, government agencies and other buying organizations
Our Story
The ORV~WBC is an organization for women business owners interested in promoting, developing and maintaining business relationships with other women business owners, major corporations and governmental agencies. ORV-WBC is one of 14 regional partner organizations of the Women’s National Business Enterprise Council (WBENC). Our charge is to certify bona fide women-owned businesses and to promote the activities directed at the development, establishment, expansion and encouragement of businesses owned by women. The ORV-WBC was established in March 2009 to provide premier WBENC certifications to women-owned businesses in the states of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
The ORV-WBC operates under the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati’s Economic Empowerment Center through a collaborative effort with the WBENC. This collaboration allows for the leveraging of two strong organizations, one dedicated to building businesses in our community, the other dedicated to the economic empowerment of women-owned businesses in our region. WBE certification is required by numerous private-sector companies and governmental agencies. During 2009 the ORV-WBC certified and/or recertified over 500 women business enterprises.
Our Vision
ORV-WBC is a premier certification organization that drives economic empowerment and advocacy for Women Business Enterprises. We strategically influence and engage both our private and public sector partners to significantly increase WBE spend within their organizations
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance inclusion and growth of Women Business Enterprises in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia through:
- A reputable certification program
- Strong linkages with private and public sector partners
- Superior customer service interface
Our Core Values
Integrity, Advocacy, Efficiency