WASHINGTON, DC. DSFederal, Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer, Sophia Parker, testified before Senator Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA) Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, on “Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Minority Women.” The hearing reviewed the Women’s Business Ownership Act, enacted in 1988, which helps women start their own businesses, and has not been reauthorized since 1999.
Ms. Parker told her story, an American success story of hard work and determination to make her dreams come true. “Growing up as a girl in Taiwan, I did not know what it meant to have big dreams.. One day a distant relative returned from America and told me that the streets in America were paved with gold. I was told that as long as you study and work hard, you could do anything. My life was forever changed. I wanted that dream to be more than just a dream, and I was willing to do whatever I had to in order to make it come true. America’s streets are indeed paved with gold; Hearts of gold; for those who mine them through hard work and diligent effort.”
Ms. Parker credited the Small Business Administration and the 8(a) program, along with hard work, for DSFederal's success. She spoke proudly about creating opportunities for minorities and women in her own company, and about how DSFederal's staff has worked together to give back to communities. After years of hard work, DSFederal has proven itself, becoming a well-respected consulting firm that provides health IT and software solutions, management and professional support, grants management, and training for its Federal customers. The company prides itself on its service, offering competitive pricing without sacrificing quality of service.
Joining Ms. Parker on the witness panel was U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Deputy Administrator Marie Johns; Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) National Deputy Director Alejandra Castillo; Eva Longoria Foundation Founder Eva Longoria; National Urban League President and CEO, Marc Morial; Brighton Enterprises, Inc. and Open-Box Creations, LLC Owner Ms. Dixie Kolditz; and Lancaster Packaging, Inc. President and CEO Marianne Lancaster.
During the hearing, Senator Landrieu noted, “It is critical to the nation’s economic future that we create more success stories. The most direct way to achieve this goal is to adequately invest in programs that harness the entrepreneurial potential of minority women, which will lead to more robust economic growth, increased productivity, and stronger communities. Any time small business owners achieve success, it leads to more job creation, which boosts the overall economy, benefiting everyone.”
According to a 2010 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, during the years 1997 to 2007, the number of women-owned business grew twice as fast as the number of firms owned by men. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has also noted that in five years’ time, more than half of the jobs created by small business will have been created by woman-owned companies. For more information on the hearing, please visit:
Witness Testimonies: Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Minority Women
Eva Longoria Stars at Senate Hearing to Promote Latina Entrepreneurs
About DSFederal: DSFederal is a woman-owned consulting firm that specializes in research support, enterprise IT solutions, business process improvement, and training for Federal government agencies. The company has received awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration (Top Woman-Owned Small Business), the Washington Business Journal (Top Small Technology Company), and SmartCEO (Cornerstone Award.) Clients include the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Transportation, Defense, and Agriculture, among others. Projects range from mobile app development to training solutions to customization of software and processes in support of multi-billion dollar efforts for HHS agencies. www.dsfederal.com