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avvy Women
Insider Information
Meet the WBENC Co-chairs
CEO advice on how to make the most of the conference.
Keeli Jernigan
Cathi Coan
Nina Vaca
Keeli Jernigan is the president and CEO of Trans-Expedite Inc., a full-service global logistics company with a core competency of servicing the time-sensitive shipments of critical cargo throughout North America and the world. Founded in 2001, Trans-Expedite represents a single-source logistics solution that helps companies of every description protect their assets, reduce operational costs and solve strategic supply-chain problems with a comprehensive range of customized services. Trans-Expedite’s culture of personalized, responsive service, together with its ISO 28000 certification, has fueled its reputation and customer list, as well as its annual revenue, which reached $60 million in 2014.
Cathi Coan is the president and CEO of Techway Services Inc., a nationally recognized provider of managed services and IT asset recovery for corporations, government entities and universities. Her vision is to redesign the world into a circular economy. Established in 2004, Techway has made a dynamic impact on end-of-life IT services. Through a customized approach, it harvests parts for resell while maintaining customer privacy by eradicating stored data on hard drives and electronic devices. Techway has saved companies hundreds of thousands of dollars, reduced toxic e-waste with 100 percent landfill diversion and has a far-reaching impact protecting the environment.
Nina Vaca is the chairman and CEO of the Pinnacle Group of companies, including Pinnacle Technical Resources Inc., an awardwinning information-technology services provider to the Fortune 500, and Provade Inc., a global provider of vendor management software. Under Vaca’s leadership, Pinnacle has become one of the largest firms in its industry, with several thousand consultants throughout the Unites States and Canada, and more than $650 million in annual revenues. Provade provides services in more than 60 countries and manages billions of transactions annually.
Austin Woman: What will women business owners learn at the WBENC conference?
Austin Woman: What are the best aspects of the WBENC conference?
Keeli Jernigan: How to build new and stronger relationships with your customers, prospects and other women in business. I am in awe of the knowledge and expertise within the WBENC community, including its corporate and government members and women’s business enterprises. This conference is an amazing opportunity to learn from them and build your network.
Cathi Coan: Business introductions and opportunities. Women can access a world of corporate decision makers and other women’s business enterprises, all under one roof. It’s a hugely attended event where you make face-to-face contact and can engage or renew relationships. Establishing just one new client or partnership pays for it.
86 | Austin Woman | june 2015
Austin Woman: What can attendees expect to take away from the WBENC conference? Nina Vaca: Education and inspiration. The conference hosts a series of educational panels and workshops designed to help women grow and scale their businesses. Women can also expect to connect and have meaningful conversations with corporations that are looking to do business with women-owned businesses and advocates who want to see them succeed. The real inspiration comes from hearing the success stories from some of the largest women’s business enterprises in the U.S. I have always found that you can’t be what you can’t see. Having this kind of access can be a powerful tool in their growth strategy.
Keeli Jernigan photo by Dav Anmed. Cathi Coan photo by Houston Stanley. Nina Vaca photo courtesy of Nina Vaca.
From June 23 – 25, Austin will host the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council’s annual national conference. Expected to draw more than 3,500 attendees, the National Conference & Business Fair is the largest of its kind for women business owners in the United States, providing a great opportunity for Austin’s women business owners to network and connect with women-owned businesses and Fortune 500 companies. For more information, visit conf.wbenc.org.