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The History of the Women’s Referral Network
The Women’s Referral Network (WRN) of Chester County was founded in 1987.
Our first meeting was held in May of that year with more than fifty local business women in attendance.
As the membership expanded, the WRN has met in several locations over the years.
From Town Hall Restaurant in West Chester, to the Holiday Inn in Chester Springs, to J & J Catering in Exton.
We presently meet at the Inn at Chester Springs in Exton, which provides a wonderful setting for our well attended monthly luncheons.
The WRN continues to expand its boundaries each year. In 2001, the first WRN golf outing took place. This helped women meet and create business on the golf course. Our first lunch sponsor was DNB Promotions in 2003. DNB saw the benefits of advertising and speaking to a large base of female business executives and business owners. Our first Business Expo was held by WRN in 2003. Women owned and operated businesses gathered in a “trade show” format to promote their businesses to the public. In 2008, the WRN will offer its Premier Annual Awards Dinner honoring local companies and businesswomen, and featuring keynote speaker Jill Chernekoff of Chernekoff Communications.
The organization continued to grow at a fast pace. We hired our first Executive Director in 2004 when their membership topped 300. To accommodate this growth, we also hired our first Event and Marketing Coordinator in 2007. To meet members’ demands for networking venues, the WRN held its first Business Card Exchange in 2005. This allowed members to meet on a more intimate basis in the evenings to find out how they can promote each other and gain valuable contacts for their business. A recent achievement for the group was their first television interview in 2006. The Special Events Committee Chairperson was interviewed on CN8 regarding our Business Women’s Expo.
The focus of the WRN has continued to expand from the initial networking opportunity for women in business to include charitable work in the community. In 1995 the WRN became an active participant in the "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" initiative. We also have “adopted” various charities over the years as Community Outreach Partners. The first was the YWCA of Chester County. Then the group raised awareness and funds for The Maternal and Child Health Consortium of Chester County. Next, we supported The Career Wardrobe and Habitat for Humanity of Chester County’s Women Build. In 2007, we focused on bringing awareness and help to The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County. During 2008, the WRN is supporting the efforts of the Chester County Opportunities Industrialization Centers.
Beyond networking and their charitable endeavors, the WRN developed an Educational Scholarship Program in 1995 to assist women in the furthering of their careers through professional education. Since the Scholarship Program was founded, the WRN has given away more than $10,000.
Tremendous progress continues to be made by the WRN to keep its members active in the community and with each other, and to help its membership grow their businesses through the power of networking. Our members include dynamic local business women and entrepreneurs, women who have served on the Chester County Women’s Commission, those who have run for public office and those who have participated in White House-sponsored conferences. Join, and watch WRN members continue to grow as leaders in their communities.
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