WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced today the launch of a new Women’s Business Center (WBC) in Tulsa, OK that will be operated by the U.S. Black Chambers Inc., in partnership with the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce – the oldest economic chamber serving the African American community in the country. Based in historic Greenwood, the new center will help increase opportunities and recovery solutions for women entrepreneurs, especially Black women small business owners, throughout the Metro-Tulsa area.
"Each new Women’s Business Center that we open holds the promise of the many rising entrepreneurs who will use its services to start their businesses, build their networks and find the tools and resources they need to grow and thrive," said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “This year, as we mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre and recognize the powerful role that Tulsa’s Greenwood District plays in our nation’s reckoning with racism, I’m proud that the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership is planting this seed of entrepreneurial opportunity so that a new generation of women business owners can build back better. Our dedicated SBA team stands ready to help women entrepreneurs across the region build equity and prosperity for themselves, their families, their communities, and our nation.”
“The opening of a Women’s Business Center in Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood will be historic for Oklahoma and for our nation, and we look forward to supporting the local small business ecosystem by providing the resources needed for women entrepreneurs in Greenwood to grow and expand,” said Natalie Madeira Cofield, Assistant Administrator, SBA Office of Women’s Business Ownership. “The new WBC also builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to increase equity for all Americans through access to the SBA’s vast network of resources and opportunities.”
In 1921, a thriving Black community in Tulsa’s Greenwood district, referred to as “Black Wall Street,” was decimated in a violent, racist attack -- approximately 300 Black Americans were killed, and thousands of homes and businesses destroyed.
In June, President Biden visited Tulsa to visit communities that have been left behind by failed policies and announce new steps to help narrow the racial wealth gap -- including a commitment to use the federal government’s purchasing power to grow federal contracting with small disadvantaged businesses by 50 percent, translating to an additional $100 billion over five years. This will help more Americans, including those in the Greenwood district, achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
The new Tulsa WBC will become the SBA’s 138th Women’s Small Business Center to offer one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on numerous business development topics, including business startup, financial management, marketing, and procurement.
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About the SBA Office of Women’s Business Ownership
Since it was established in response to an Executive Order in 1979, the Office of Women’s Business Ownership’s (OWBO) mission is to empower women entrepreneurs through advocacy, outreach, education, and support. To learn more about SBA’s programs and services for women entrepreneurs, visit www.sba.gov/women. To find other WBC locations and additional SBA resources, visit www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.