Senator Deb Fischer visits the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center

Senator Deb Fischer visits the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center

by | Dec 14, 2021 | GROW Blog, Uncategorized

Senator Deb Fischer visits the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center

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Omaha, NE – Recently the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center had a special guest visit from Senator Deb Fischer. The opening of the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center was a dream come true for the GROW Nebraska Foundation. Janell Anderson Ehrke of GROW Nebraska, BC Clark of the Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center and Heather Nelson Entrepreneur Consultant started meeting and having phone calls about the need for Omaha to have a Women’s Business Center. “Other states around Nebraska had two Women’s Business Centers so we started to inquire to the Nebraska District SBA office and former director Leon Milobar and his staff were extremely helpful.”  Janell Anderson Ehrke CEO of GROW Nebraska. Once we had our strategic plan ready one of our first calls was to Senator Deb Fischer’s office. Senator Fischer and her staff were incredibly supportive.

 

In the last fourteen months the SBA has awarded us to open a Women’s Business Office, hired an extremely capable director and BC Clark stepped forward to serve as our program director. We opened an office in the Empowerment Village, put together a board for the GNWBC and recently we added to our team Eden Butler our new client coordinator. It has been a whirl wind, but the GROW Nebraska Foundation board is thrilled with the progress and impact the GNWBC is making.  Having Senator Fischer stop by and see our progress was so exciting.    

 

Senator Deb Fischer is committed to seeing small business owners receive access to the resources needed to not only keep their doors open, but to also help them grow! Candice Price the director of the GROW Nebraska Business Center along with team member BC Clark and Eden Butler “We greatly appreciate the time given and interest shown in upcoming programming and being instrumental in the formation of the GNWBC!”

 

About the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center

The GROW Nebraska Foundation launched the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center (GNWBC) in the Omaha Metro area in 2021 with the goal of offering support, training, and networking in an efficient and affordable manner to entrepreneurs that otherwise lack the resources and ability to access needed services. Powered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the GNWBC is a coordinated effort among the Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center that allows each organization to exude its strengths and make the GNWBC a “one-stop” coordinated program that allows small business owners to grow and learn, enhancing the local workforce with job creation, business skills, and business growth. 

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GROW Nebraska Women’s business center hires Eden Butler as new client coordinator/office assistant

GROW Nebraska Women’s business center hires Eden Butler as new client coordinator/office assistant

by | Oct 19, 2021 | GROW Blog

GROW Nebraska Women’s business center hires Eden Butler as new client coordinator/office assistant

OMAHA – The GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center (GNWBC) is pleased to announce it will continue to expand services through the hiring of a new client coordinator/office assistant. 

Eden Butler joined the GNWBC team on Oct. 12, bringing years of experience in both administration and marketing to the position.

“We couldn’t be happier to have her at the WBC,” said GNWBC Director Candice Price. “She comes from a background of working with women lead organizations and is skilled in assisting business growth through branding and marketing.” 

This new role was created to support the Women Business Center’s administrative needs, including market outreach, client coordination, office supply management, records management. As the client coordinator, Butler will work with clients for registration, enrollment, and coordination of participation in programs.

Born and raised in Tulsa, OK, Eden Butler is the CEO and Graphic Designer at Phoenix Under Fire, LLC, a branding and advertising agency that has served multiple small businesses and nonprofit organizations nationwide. Phoenix Under Fire has worked with establishments such as Nebraska Democratic Party, Nebraska Douglas County Democrats, Nebraska Enterprise Fund, Omaha NAACP, and Royal Caribbean International.

Most recently, Butler also worked as an administrative assistant for Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering, who is also a GNWBC client. Her resume also includes work as a marketing coordinator and administrative assistant for other organizations.

Butler attended Tulsa Community College from 2005-2009, studying Music and Business Management.

“The GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center has stirred up an overwhelming interest from entrepreneurs in the Omaha area this year,” said GROW Nebraska CEO Janell Anderson Ehrke. “By adding Eden to the team, we’ll be able to help even more current and aspiring small business owners achieve their dreams.” 

About the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center

The GROW Nebraska Foundation launched the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center (GNWBC) in the Omaha Metro area in 2021 with the goal of offering support, training, and networking in an efficient and affordable manner to entrepreneurs that otherwise lack the resources and ability to access needed services. 

Powered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the GNWBC is a coordinated effort among the Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center that allows each organization to exude its strengths and make the GNWBC a “one-stop” coordinated program that allows small business owners to grow and learn, enhancing the local workforce with job creation, business skills, and business growth. 

 

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Women entrepreneurs learn and network at GNWBC Sip & Learn events

Women entrepreneurs learn and network at GNWBC Sip & Learn events

by | Sep 6, 2021 | GROW Blog

Women entrepreneurs learn and network at GNWBC Sip & Learn events

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As an organization, GROW Nebraska strives to be a useful business resource to the entrepreneurs in our state, and the Nebraska Women’s Business Center’s Sip & Learn events have been a fun, accessible addition to these efforts. 

The GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center (GNWBC) was founded in early 2021, when the U.S. Small Business Administration provided grant funding for the launch of 20 new Women’s Business Centers across the nation. The program was designed to serve rural, urban, and underserved communities. 

The GNWBC has partnered with the Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center (MOWBC) to come up with fresh, helpful events and resources for women entrepreneurs in the Omaha area. According to the organization’s website, the “Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center endeavors to accelerate the success of women in all aspects and at all business and professional levels.” Together, the groups are presenting Sip & Learn events for people in this demographic.

BC Clark, founder of the MOWBC and Program Director of the GNWBC, has been involved with this effort from the start. When asked where the idea came from, she said, “We were looking for signature events for the partnership. You hear about things like ‘Paint & Sip,’ so we thought, ‘Sip & Learn.’ It’s an opportunity to network and get education.” 

With businesses and operations opening up earlier this summer, the partners thought that some in-person networking opportunities would be good for the community. “We’ve been shut in for so long, it’s all about getting the work out for your business. You have to carve your own space out.”

Their last event brought in about 40 attendees. Clark said that while education is an important part of the Sip & Learn events, it’s really about the networking.

“Having some food and beverage while getting and sharing information with other business owners, that’s priceless networking.” 

The Sip & Learn events are held monthly, and feature different speakers for each meeting. These meetings cover topics like financials for women, networking, and investment. The partnership between the two organizations combines the resources, networks, and expertise of a large pool of experts, and will provide a valuable service to the woman entrepreneurs in the Omaha area and beyond. 

On the topic of the partnership, Clark said that, “Collaboration with these two organizations is really going to be able to bring the resources to women business owners, those who want to start a business, or just need a resource as ladies trying to find their way. We are bringing a greater service to a greater number of women. Working with GROW Nebraska is really allowing us to reach more people.” 

GROW NEBRASKA is excited to watch this partnership grow, and to share more about the good work these two organizations are doing for Nebraska’s women-led entrepreneurship community! For more information about the Sip & Learn events, please contact Candice Price at candice@grownebraskawbc.org.

Story by Lauren Bonk, owner of the Curtain and Pen Copywriting Services, a GROW Nebraska member. Lauren hails from Kearney, NE, where she works as a freelance copywriter for small businesses, startups, and even larger corporate entities in need of professionally-written marketing content for their businesses and organizations. 

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