The Women’s Business Center @JSU is open—pending an official grand opening in February 2022. It will provide business services to women seeking federal contract dollars as women-owned small businesses (WOSB) and economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSB). The WBC @JSU is located on the third floor/suite 332 in the College of Business.
“The focus of the WBC @JSU is to promote economic growth in Hinds County by providing business services to women seeking federal contracting dollars, as well as preparing women businesses to engage in technology transfer and commercialization,” said Dr. Almesha Campbell, vice president for the Division of Research and Economic Development. “There are a lot of opportunities for minority businesses to engage in federal contracting, and our goal is to help prepare women businesses to be competitive in the space and to understand how to commercialize their ideas. This will ultimately help with strengthening Mississippi’s economy.”
The center will offer confidential one-on-one counseling, low-cost training, networking, free workshops, technical assistance and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on numerous business development topics. Assistance also will include providing information about business startup, financial reporting and procurement.
“The Women’s Business Center @JSU is a necessity,” Sydney Brown, director of The WBC @JSU, said. “We need to support the boundless potential of women-owned businesses in the state of Mississippi. This center will encourage the participation of women entrepreneurs in the local, state, national and global economy, and, in particular, those who have been under-served or lack access to the free enterprise market place.”
To participate in the Women’s Business Center @JSU, individual participants must meet the following criteria:
(1) Be a US citizen
(2) Be a woman
(3) Own and control at least 51 percent of a small business that is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, S Corporation or C Corporation
(4) Nonprofits are ineligible. Debarred or suspended firms or firms owned by debarred or suspended individual(s) are also ineligible.
(5) Business must operate primarily within the U.S. or make a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor.
(6) Business is considered small in accordance with its primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
The in-take process and needs assessment will allow the center to identify the needs of the clients and customize support to meet those needs. The center will capitalize on the strengths of the JSU Small Business Development Center; the Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development; and faculty expertise in the College of Business.
For more information regarding The Women’s Business Center @JSU, contact Brown at 601.979.4186 or Sydney.brown@jsums.edu.
Media contact: LaToya Hentz-Moore, latoya.c.hentz@jsums.edu