Navigating WBEC-West Resources: How Keywords and Portals Can Propel Your Business Forward

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here with Renita Manley, another episode of Women In Motion, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on the show, we have BoWynn Ashworth. Renita, this is going to be a great guest to tell us what’s going on.

Renita Manley: Yeah. So my team member, BoWynn, is here with us today. So, I really wanted to bring BoWynn on because as we go into 2026 and as we’re coming off our very much so successful 2025 conference, that was here in Phoenix, Arizona just this past December, I learned that a lot of WBEs still have a lot of questions about how to properly use keywords, and how they can access the portal, and the differences between WBENCLink, the portal, and keywords.

Renita Manley: So, I decided to bring BoWynn on today so she can clear things up for all of you WBEs out there, so you guys and ladies can stop missing all of these fabulous events that we are having and that’s coming up, especially if attending these events are based on how you are using your keywords. So, BoWynn is our sourcing coordinator. Is that correct title, BoWynn?

BoWynn Ashworth: Yes, the sourcing program coordinator.

Renita Manley: Yes. All right. So, can you please tell all the WBEs out there a little bit about yourself and how you help them leverage their certifications.

BoWynn Ashworth: Absolutely. So, I am responsible for a few different programs within WBEC-West. Initially, I was brought on to manage our sourcing program and to educate our WBEs on the importance of their keywords to be used in sourcing. Sourcing is when one of our corporate members or even a fellow WBE comes to me and says, hey, I am looking for a WBE with the following product, services, or capabilities, can you help me out?

BoWynn Ashworth: I strategically source for these better recommendations and provide recommendations based on their procurement, or invitation, or outreach needs. I also strategically distribute opportunities to our WBEs based on those keywords. I manage our WBE resource portal. And I have also taken on the ambassador program in 2026. So, I do quite a lot for our WBEs, but the main thing that you need to know is I am your gateway to connect you with opportunities.

Lee Kantor: So, can you give us a hypothetical of how it works in real life? Like a corporate will come up to you, you don’t have to name the name of a corporate, but what’s an example of something they would ask you?

BoWynn Ashworth: I’m going to totally make this up. So, let’s say that SRP comes to me and they say, “BoWynn, we would love to expand and do some construction. I need a woman-owned construction company that can do these capabilities in this area. Who can you recommend?” So then, I will search based on those keywords of what capabilities they need. If it’s like drywall, excavation, general contracting, I will search by those keywords on WBENCLink, pull a list. And then, I will actually go through and sort that list, kind of dig into each WBE and make sure that those that I’m recommending are a good fit for the request. And then, I will return that back to our corporate member.

Lee Kantor: Now, are you ever communicating with the WBE or their organization, or you’re doing all of this based on what keywords they kind of put into the system initially?

BoWynn Ashworth: It kind of depends on the request and how specific they are. Some of my requests are very in-depth with very specific capabilities. In that case, I will reach out to the WBE using the primary owner email address on file in the WBENCLink system and say, hey, I have a corporate member that is looking for X, Y, and Z, and I’ll lay out all the capabilities. I don’t disclose the corporate member because that’s usually asked to be left anonymous. But I will say, can you fulfill all aspects of this ask?

BoWynn Ashworth: If so, in that case, I usually ask them to return a capability statement to me. The reason I do that is I want to make sure that in all of their sourcing for all of these organizations that are WBEs are front and center and top of mind for these requests.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any – go ahead.

Renita Manley: Before you – sorry, Lee.

Lee Kantor: Go ahead, Renita.

Renita Manley: Thanks, Lee. Before you go any deeper into this, BoWynn, what I would like for you to do is to explain to our WBEs the difference between the two webinars that you run. Because like I mentioned in the intro, we do have a lot of WBEs who are still kind of confused about the differences between your webinars. So, can you just introduce your two programs and then tell us about their differences.

BoWynn Ashworth: Absolutely. So, the Keywords Workshop is designed to help you come up with capabilities-focused keywords that you list in WBENCLink. You usually do that during recertification, and it will say capabilities of product and service provided. These keywords are what I search by when I’m sourcing to share strategic opportunities with and to source.

BoWynn Ashworth: So, it’s really important that your keywords are clear and it lists all of your capabilities. And we go more into that in the Keywords Workshop, what to include, best practices, and how your keywords can actually potentially sabotage those opportunities, either by misspelling, leaving them out, and I list a few other things too. I also walk you through the process to have them updated to make sure that they are current.

BoWynn Ashworth: So, sourcing uses the WBENCLink 2.0 portal. That’s how our WBEs become certified and recertified. It’s a little confusing at first because a lot of WBEs are like, “Okay, portal. I’m already in the portal.” Our WBEC-West WBE to WBE community portal is a completely different portal, completely different platform. But the exciting thing about this is it’s exclusive for our WBEC-West members. They can go in and they can find corporate opportunities, like a virtual job board. I list RFPs, I list grants, anything that comes to my desk that is public, I share in there. They can also find outreach events, corporate workshops. They can connect with other WBEs and collaborate on things like bids. And I walk you through all of this. There’s resources. Like, it truly is an incredible portal full of opportunities.

Renita Manley: Got it. Can you tell me one story or maybe make up a story, but a real life story would be more fun, can you tell us a story about maybe a WBE who might have missed out on an opportunity because her keywords weren’t updated properly?

BoWynn Ashworth: Yes, I actually had one that I came across and it was in the construction realm. I actually do receive quite a few construction related asks. And I was going through, after I had sent my recommendations, and upon actually talking to this WBE at our conference, and she told me everything she did. And I was like, You know what? I just had an opportunity that would have been perfect for you. Like absolutely perfect. You would have been at the top of the list. But you missed out because you had three or four keywords. Had you have had the appropriate keywords, you would have been top of mind and been recommended for this opportunity. But because you didn’t have those capabilities, focus keywords, and that your keyword section was lacking, she absolutely missed out on that opportunity and being recommended.

Renita Manley: Okay. Can you give me an example of maybe like a WBE who thought their keywords were all good? You know, they were in the system, they got their keywords going, and they’re like, yeah, I’m going to get all the opportunities. But can you tell me what she might have missed and how that messed up her opportunity?

BoWynn Ashworth: So, let’s go back to construction just because it’s on top of mind. So, they may say general contractor, construction, and they may list their NIC code. We’ll just say, I don’t know, make up a construction company name, Blue Dot Construction is a woman-owned construction business that does this, this, and this. And in all of that keywords, they have three capabilities, general contracting, something else, something else. So if I’m looking for drywall, if I’m looking for framing, if I’m looking for concrete, if I’m looking for any of those tasks, she’s not going to be included.

BoWynn Ashworth: So, it’s very important that they list all of their capabilities to make sure that everything that they are capable of and that they are proficient in that they list so that they’re not leaving anything on the table.

Lee Kantor: Is there a limit to the amount of keywords you can put in?

BoWynn Ashworth: Yes. So the system allows it to be 1,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation. So, we want to make sure we’re including our most relevant information first, because anything beyond that will be cut off. Great question.

Lee Kantor: Now in the webinar, are you going to help the person kind of prioritize the keywords that are the best ones to get them the most opportunities? Is that what happens in the webinar?

BoWynn Ashworth: So in the webinar, I give them the information on this is what we’re looking at, this is how the sourcing program works, these are some things to keep in mind, this is how to draft your keywords. Afterwards, I give them my contact information and encourage them to book one-on-one time with me to go through their keywords and make sure that they are up to date, and we have everything listed that we’re not missing anything, and that they are good to go upon changing them in the portal – or excuse me, submitting the form to have them changed in the portal.

Renita Manley: Well, speaking of the portal, we’ve done a lot of talking about the keywords, but I do want to discuss what’s the difference between the portal and WBENCLink.

BoWynn Ashworth: So, WBENCLink is where we do our sourcing. But for WBEs, it is where they go to submit their recertification. So, this is the portal where they put in all their documentation, they did everything to become certified or to be recertified. The WBEC-West WBE Resource Portal is a completely different portal that they have to request access for. It’s something that I monitor and make sure that only those who are actively certified within WBEC-West can access. But within that, they can find, like I mentioned before, a whole different ton of opportunities for corporate members, such as corporate supplier links, more information about our corporate members. But more than that, they can connect with each other.

Renita Manley: Okay, got it, got it. And I’m going to actually read some of this next question because I do not want to mess it up, because I know how important this piece is for you, BoWynn. So I know right now we’re hearing a lot about changes in corporate priorities around supplier diversity and DEI. And from what you’re seeing, BoWynn, how important are WBE to WBE relationships and collaboration in helping businesses continue to access opportunities and grow together?

BoWynn Ashworth: Absolutely. So, the first thing I want to say is our corporate members who have been engaged with us are still engaged with us. The ones that are committed to our WBEs, committed to supplier diversity, committed to champion women-owned businesses are still here. And in fact, our sourcing program experienced 63 percent growth over 2024. So despite all the changes in 2025, we had an absolutely amazing year. So, I don’t want anyone to think that WBEC-West is not working on your behalf because we absolutely are. We’re working harder than ever to bring our WBEs corporate opportunities.

BoWynn Ashworth: That said, I think there’s a lot of power in the WBE to WBE community and the WBE to WBE collaboration aspect, whether that is searching for a fellow WBE to partner with on a bigger contract, to secure a bigger contract, or a procurement opportunity. One thing we do, and we mentioned with sourcing, is, we source for our corporate members, but I’m also willing to source WBE to WBE.

BoWynn Ashworth: So if you are looking to partner with a fellow WBE on a bigger contract or something, you’re absolutely more than welcome to send me an email and I can help you find a WBE who may fit that. Also, for any procurement needs you have, maybe you have a website that needs an overhaul and you’d like to do business with a fellow WBE first, I’m absolutely happy to source that too.

BoWynn Ashworth: So yes, there’s power in the corporate connections, but there is so much yet to be discovered in WBE to WBE collaboration and connection.

Lee Kantor: Is there a story you can share about a collaboration that is memorable to you? Is there anything that comes to mind that maybe you run into that people said, hey, we met at the conference and we joined forces and now we got this thing.

BoWynn Ashworth: So, I have two that are top of mind. One, I had the pleasure, again, at our conference to watch two WBEs in the construction business talk about their bonding capacity, their capabilities. The one said I absolutely loved subcontract, this is what I do. And the other one said, I have unlimited bonding capacity, I would love to bring you on as a subcontractor. And they kind of discussed that. So, I thought that was super cool because there’s so much power in that, to be able to work together and unite to achieve those bigger contracts. So, that’s one that was super cool as far as collaboration and working together for bigger contracts.

BoWynn Ashworth: The second comes from WBE sourcing. And again, one of our amazing WBEs out of Colorado came to me, and this was before the WBENC National Conference in Denver, and she mentioned, you know, like the altitude and just worried about people not getting hydrated enough, “And I’m thinking I would love to do some hydration packets and pass them out at conference.” And I thought, that’s a great idea. So she said, “Can you help me identify a WBE that I can do that?”

BoWynn Ashworth: So, I found one for her. She purchased the product from her and included all of her marketing information and passed them out at the conference. And what that did was that highlighted not only her business, but it also elevated another WBE and brought attention to her product, which I thought was super cool.

Lee Kantor: Now, in your work, do you find that everybody is taking advantage of kind of you as a resource? It sounds like what you’re doing is extremely valuable, and it’s one of those kind of best kept secrets. Is this something that you’re like kind of going, how come more people don’t contact me? Or are you just slammed where you’re just overwhelmed with people contacting you?

BoWynn Ashworth: Dr. Pamela actually brought that up. She said, I’ve had so many WBEs that said I didn’t know what BoWynn does. I had no idea the value that BoWynn provides. So this is your PSA, hit me up. I’m here to help you. But yeah, there are so many WBEs that don’t fully understand the value of what I can provide and what I can connect them to. So my door is always open, my email is always open, always happy to connect. And yes, my inbox is never full enough.

Renita Manley: And even on a marketing side, for any WBE that’s listening, sometimes I hear I didn’t know you were having this type of event. I need events that are more so about this topic. And I’m like, hey, we just had an event about that topic. Sometimes I can go into the system, I’m not as great as BoWynn, right? But I can go into the system and play around with some keywords, and I can pull a list of WBEs and direct market events to them based on a corporate that’s going to be there, the topic that’s being discussed, or maybe some products that might be of interest for that particular event.

Renita Manley: And I can say, too, if your keywords didn’t show up, and you didn’t show up with those keywords, you might have missed out on an event that you could have attended and that you really could have benefited from. So along with that little side piece from marketing, I got to ask you, BoWynn, who specifically should be attending your workshops, and then can you share with us when your workshops are actually scheduled?

BoWynn Ashworth: Absolutely. Every WBE can and should attend both workshops. Reason being, keywords are critical for everything that I do, corporate sourcing, WBE sourcing, strategic sourcing, and like you mentioned, marketing too. And I highly recommend not only taking it, but just refreshing every other year before you get ready to recertify, in case there’s any changes within the sourcing program that you can keep up to date.

BoWynn Ashworth: And then as far as the WBE Resource Portal, again, it’s something that every WBE should be taking advantage of. Like I mentioned, I post opportunities in there such as RFPs and grants. That is continually changing. So, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re in there in the portal keeping up on it.

BoWynn Ashworth: As far as to answer your question as when, the WBE Resource Portal 101 is offered every single month in the year of 2026. The Keywords Workshop is offered every other month, and it will be the end of this month, so end of January. So we’ll have January, March, and it’ll be every other month in 2026.

Renita Manley: Okay. And I was going to say, if you’re just interested in attending those workshops, you can just go on to our website, W-B-E-C-hyphen-W-E-S-T.com, go to our calendar and register there. Or if you have any lingering questions, or if you’re hearing this and you’re like, I’m overwhelmed, what should I do next? Just email BoWynn because she is a queen and she’s wonderful. BoWynn, what’s your email address for everybody?

BoWynn Ashworth: It’s B-O-W-Y-N-N@wbec-west.org.

Renita Manley: Okay. Lee?

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Well, BoWynn, you’re doing such important work, and really, the WBEs, even if they have a question, I’m sure you’re open to having conversations. You just want to talk to more people so you can let them know what they have to do to be more successful. I mean, this is a no-brainer. Any WBE that’s taking the time to get certified should spend a few minutes with you.

BoWynn Ashworth: Absolutely. I would love that. I am here, truly a champion of our women-owned businesses. Like my passion is connecting women-owned businesses with opportunities that help them to succeed and grow. So, anything that I can do to support our WBEs, I am absolutely here for it.

Lee Kantor: Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

BoWynn Ashworth: Thank you so much.

Renita Manley: All right.

Renita Manley: Thanks for coming, BoWynn.

BoWynn Ashworth: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor for Renita Manley, we will see you all next time on Women In Motion.