Celebrations of Women’s History Month cover a broad spectrum of arts, sports and politics, but very few people can identify its beginnings: a garment workers strike in New York City over working conditions in 1909. This was the same era of Suffragism, when women gained the right to vote, and surely the presence of women in the workplace and at the voting booth have a historic linkage that is at the heart of a movement for equality that continues today. Simply stated, the right to vote was an assurance that elected officials start paying attention to women in the workplace.

More than a century later we continue to make progress with pay equality and other equal opportunity issues. Perhaps one of the best signals of our progress is that it is more and more common to see women in leadership positions – especially among entrepreneurs – and we are starting the most important phase of economic relevance: deployment of capital.

An important contributor that doesn’t get enough attention is the brilliant expression of creating opportunity for women with the Women Business Enterprise (WBE) designation.

Certifications for WBEs vary with each individual agency, but the common thread is a minimum of 51% ownership and the day-to-day management of the company by a woman. Once awarded this designation, there are multiple opportunities a company can take advantage of, including:

• Registration and recognition in corporate supplier diversity portals;
• Access to specialized funding sources;
• Networking and educational opportunities;
• And benefits in government and corporate bidding environments.

Getting to the big leagues

As the owner of a business in an historically male-dominated industry – commercial furniture – BFI has an unusual path to our WBE story. After a career in investment banking followed by a successful entrepreneurial venture, I was able to become an equity partner in 2019, bringing a unique skillset and experience to an industry that rarely sees change.

While a WBE designation provides an incentive for women to start companies, it is important that they scale appropriately to participate in large government and corporate opportunities.

There are notable exceptions to the perception that WBEs are generally smaller players, but the truth is most WBEs lack the capital required to build the larger enterprises that can take on big jobs. With over 50 employees, a number that remained constant even during the turbulent time of COVID, BFI is a major player in our industry and the New Jersey market, positioning us to win large projects and partner with a long list of well respected, like-minded companies.

Success story

The success of our WBE designation is something that is taking hold at BFI and something we are extremely proud of and hold in high esteem. It has helped us build upon our foundation of the longest tenured furniture dealership in New Jersey and become the largest MillerKnoll dealer in the market.

And as we celebrate Women’s History Month, we can trace our success all the way back to those seamstresses in 1909 for their determination to rise up and fight for what was right then, so we can continue to fight for what is right now: validation that everyone is equal and deserves an opportunity to succeed.

BFI President and CEO Kate Kerpchar has more than 25 years of experience in different roles within the operations, facilities, construction and management disciplines. This diverse background enabled her to take a unique look at a mature business and develop a go-to-market strategy to bring a third-generation enterprise to the next phase.