About Us
The Women’s Business Development Center – Minnesota (WBDC-MN) is the satellite office of the Chicago-based Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). The WBDC-MN was launched in 2003 to serve Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) in Minnesota and neighboring states. The WBDC-MN provides WBE Certification to majority-owned women’s businesses in Minnesota, Western Wisconsin, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The WBE Certification is national in scope and issued by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). It is accepted by over a thousand major corporations and public agencies in the country. In addition, the WBDC-MN offers training, mentoring, networking, and business development opportunities to WBEs.
We thank our Founding Partners Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP, and M&I Bank for their vision and support of the Center.
Mission
Our mission is to develop and implement initiatives that will assist WBEs to successfully grow their businesses by:
• Educating WBEs on how to maximize their certifications;
• Encouraging WBEs to do business with each other, form alliances, and share information such as contacts and experiences; and
• Facilitating business relationships between WBEs and potential corporate, government, and not-for-profit customers.
Our Programs
We offer the following programs and services to WBEs and Corporate Partners. For specific dates on the programs below, please refer to the Calendar of Events page.
• “ABC’s of WBE Certification” workshop
• “I’m Certified, Now What?” workshop
• Corporate Partner Panels
• WBE and Corporate Partner Networking Events
• WBE Mentoring Program
• Workshops on Sales and Business Growth
• Matchmakers
• One-on-One Consulting
• WBDC-MN Annual Evening of Celebration
Our Partners
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. is a 240-attorney law firm with primary areas of practice including banking, corporate, employment, franchise, government relations, healthcare, intellectual property, international, litigation, real estate, securities, tax and wind energy. Fredrikson & Byron is the exclusive Minnesota law firm member of the World Services Group, a worldwide network of professional service providers.
Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company LLP (LBLCO) is an accounting and consulting firm with a vision to provide exceptional service to clients and community. A major portion of LBLCO’s practice focuses on working with woman-owned companies.
M&I Bank, a diversified financial services company, provides comprehensive financial products and services and unparalleled customer service to personal, business, corporate and institutional customers nationwide.
WBDC-MN Corporate Partners
3M
Best Buy
Cargill
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.
Cub Foods
Deluxe Corporation
Ecolab
Marathon Petroleum Company, LLC
Mayo Clinic
Medtronic, Inc.
Minneapolis Public School District
SUPERVALU INC.
Target Corporation
The Toro Company
Xcel Energy
MN Calendar of Events
Doing Business with the State of Minnesota in partnership with PTAC
WBDC-MN Annual Event and Awards Ceremony
ABC’s of WBE Certification in partnership with WomenVenture
March 24-25
WBENC’s Salute to WBEs – National Harbor, MD
