Utah Ranks No.1 in Growth of Women-Owned Businesses

The Salt Lake City-Ogden metropolitan area is No. 1 among the nation’s
50 largest cities in the percentage of growth of women-owned businesses,
their employment levels and sales over the past five years, according to data
released by the National Association of Women Business Owners
(NAWBO).

BY LESLEY MITCHELL
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

The data, compiled by the Center for Women’s Business Research, was
released Saturday to hundreds of women entrepreneurs gathered at the
Wyndham Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City for NAWBO’s annual
conference, which runs through Tuesday. The report defines a women-owned
enterprise as a privately-held business in which a majority share is owned
by a woman. It is based on unpublished and published U.S. Census Bureau
data and other information.
"Utah is truly a hotbed for women’s entrepreneurship," said Sharon
Hadary, executive director of the Center for Women’s Business Research in
Washington, D.C.
Las Vegas was No. 2, followed by Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.; Kansas City,
Mo.-Kan.; St. Louis, Mo.-Ill; Portland-Vancouver, Ore.-Wash; Nashville,
Tenn., followed by the Texas metropolitan areas of Austin-San Marcos;
Dallas, Fort Worth-Arlington; Houston and San Antonio.
NAWBO members attributed the strong growth in the Salt Lake
City-Ogden area to a state with what they consider a rich history of women
running their own enterprises — whether as a hairstylist, seamstress,
consultant or manufacturer.
"Women here have been taught early on that they can be successful
running their own business," said Hydee Willis of Salt Lake City. "It’s the
heritage of Utah."
Outpopulated by other cities, the Salt Lake City-Ogden area ranks 42nd
among the top 50 metropolitan areas in the number, employment and sales
of women-owned companies.
But growth remains another matter.
The Salt Lake City-Ogden area is No. 1 in the percentage increase in
those three categories.
Hadary said the number of employees at women-owned businesses in
the Salt Lake City-Ogden area grew by 94 percent to more than 57,000 from
1997 to 2002 compared with about 30 percent nationally
The number of women-owned businesses in the area grew by a smaller
margin — about 27 percent — to more than 33,100 but still grew by nearly
double the national average of 14 percent. Growth in sales of women-owned
businesses in the area was nearly 76 percent to $6.2 billion compared with
approximately 40 percent nationally.
Utah ranks third in the growth in the number of women-owned
businesses; second in employment growth and eighth in sales growth. The
state, however, is ranked only 32nd in the number of women-owned firms,
significantly below higher-populated states such as California, Texas and
Florida.
As in other areas of the country, the majority of women-owned
businesses in the Salt Lake-Ogden area have only one-employee — the
business owner. Of the more than 33,100 women-owned businesses in the
Salt Lake City-Ogden area, for example, less than 5,000 have employees.
Statewide, of the 53,400 women-owned businesses, only about 7,500 have
employees, according to the center’s report.
But that does not mean they will stay that way.
Two decades ago, NAWBO member Willis started out doing embroidery
in her home. Now she owns Creative Expressions, a 35-employee Murray
company that specializes in custom embroidery and advertising specialty
items.
Some women-owned businesses will always remain small by design.
Veterinarian Brenda Ponce started Avenues Pet Clinic, which specializes
in dogs, cats and other small animals, because she had her own vision of
how a veterinary business should be run.
"I realized that if I want to be able to do things like I want to do them I had
to be my own boss," she said.

http://www.sltrib.com/06232002/utah/747661.htm