2011 Women in Business Champion and 2011 Regional Award for Excellence & Innovation, Region 10

The 2011 Women in Business Champion -- Leslie Bevan, Manager of MercyCorps NW Women's Business Center. SBA is also pleased to present the 2011 Regional Award for Excellence and Innovation to MercyCorps NW Women's Business Center. The Women in Business Champion award recognizes a person who has fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of women's business ownership and the Women's Business Center Excellence Award honors a Women's Business Center (WBC) for its excellence and innovation in assisting women entrepreneurs by providing a wide variety of training and counseling. Leslie Bevan loves counseling and mentoring small business owners. Leslie drove the creation of a more solid strategy for the WBC -- a big feat for which she used her large network and skill at connecting to achieve. Leslie's work resulted in a larger offering of classes, mentoring opportunities and a broadened volunteer network of experienced professionals in the community to be instructors. Through MercyCorp NW, she works to assist low-to-moderate income individuals improve their lives through starting or expanding a small business. The Women's Business Center at MercyCorps NW provides loans, matched savings and business development services that help clients increase their economic self-sufficiency through self-employment. The center makes an impact in the community. In 2010, they assisted local businesses in obtaining approximately $500,000 in capital with half going to women. Let's listen to Leslie's thoughts.

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