Revelations from Fall Cleaning

by Heather Gurewitz
Mendocino Women's Business Center Director

 

Pamela Patterson (2000),
then Biz Dev. Manager.,current CEO

 If you've been to the coast office in the last couple of days you may have noticed that we have done some furniture re-organizing. Through this process I ended up cleaning out a cabinet that I have been avoiding for a long time. Now, I am not much for cleaning, but this turned out to be a lot of fun, as the cabinet was like a journey through the history of West Company. We found photographs of the re-dedication of the Women's Business Center back in 2000 as well as the "Advancing the Status of Women Award" presented to West Company on April 27, 1997 by Soroptomists International.

 


Joy Calonico(2000), then WBC Director
current SBDC consultant

 I was still working on my undergraduate degree in 1997,so thinking about all the people who have worked for West Company over the last 22 years creating an organization that does so much for our community makes me feel proud to be a part of it.

West Company has changed and expanded since the old days when West was actually an acronym. Today, West Company continues to serve male and female micro-entrepreneurs, but, as the Small Business Development Center, West Company provides a higher level of service to existing businesses looking to grow. As an organization we have accumulated a vast body of knowledge over the last 22 years that we are able to share with our clients.

As the Women's Business Center Director and a community development professional I do what I do because I want to make a difference, and it is important to remember that the work I do isn't just about what I do with the clients I see now. West Company has been successfully implementing a grass roots approach to economic development for a long time and I am proud to be a part of it!