Written by Lidia Vijga
From June 15–18, the 2026 WBENC National Conference brings thousands of incredible women entrepreneurs together with the corporate leaders who want to work with them. Somewhere in those aisles is your next client, your next supplier or the collaborator who will spark your next big idea.
With so much talent in one place, the hard part is simply finding them before the conference ends. So for everyone heading to Salt Lake City this year, I did the homework. Make sure to meet these remarkable women and learn about their companies.
Paden Sickles, Founder & CEO at SickFit
Paden Sickles is the founder and CEO of SickFit. A former Army Engineer Officer, she was among the first women to train and lead enlisted female combat engineers before launching the brand. She’s also a founding partner of the Global Flag Football League and is completing her doctorate, redefining what’s possible for women- and veteran-owned businesses.
About SickFit 📍 Booth 731
SickFit makes performance compression socks for the people on their feet all day – nurses, warehouse crews, line cooks, tradespeople. Veteran- and woman-owned, WBE-certified, and built on three patents, SickFit engineers support that holds up shift after shift.
Pamela A. Kan, CEO & Owner at Bishop-Wisecarver
Pamela A. Kan is the CEO and Owner of Bishop-Wisecarver. A second-generation leader, she joined the family company in 1991, became president in 1999, and principal shareholder in 2009. She’s since led multiple acquisitions, transforming Bishop-Wisecarver into a complete mechatronics company, and champions STEM education along the way.
About Bishop-Wisecarver 📍 Booth 1414
Bishop-Wisecarver, founded in 1950, is a global leader in linear and rotary motion solutions engineered for the harshest environments. With 75 years of expertise, it now delivers turnkey automation, custom mechatronics, controls, and software as a complete motion-solutions partner.
Molly Huyck, Amie Konwinski & Janessa Nations – The Team at AeQuitas Invest
Meet the team behind AeQuitas Invest (AQi). Founder and CEO Molly Huyck (a former PayPal executive), COO and CCO Amie Konwinski (a U.S. Navy veteran, nonprofit founder, and marketing executive), and Client Success Manager Janessa Nations built the platform they wished existed for women raising capital. Stop by to meet these incredible women and find out how the AQi platform can help your startup raise money from everyday investors.
About AeQuitas Invest (AQi) 📍 Booth 223
AeQuitas Invest (AQi) is an SEC-registered, FINRA-member funding portal, the only U.S. portal founded by women, owned by women, and built exclusively for women-owned companies. It lets women-led businesses raise capital directly from investors through Regulation Crowdfunding on founder-friendly terms, while keeping control of the company they built.
Read my deep dive on AeQuitas Invest here.
Shannon “Shãn” Sutherland, CEO at Simple Impact
Shannon Sutherland is the CEO & Founder of Simple Impact. A Certified Wealth Advisor and Retirement Counselor, she’s dedicated to helping organizations build better retirement plans. She brings clarity and accountability to one of the most important and most overlooked benefits a company can offer.
About Simple Impact 📍 Booth 337
Simple Impact advises, establishes, converts, and services retirement plans for businesses of all sizes. The firm helps employers give their teams stronger retirement outcomes with expert, fiduciary-grade guidance.
Glenda Thomas – CEO of Electra Grid Solutions
Glenda Thomas is the CEO and President of Electra Grid Solutions. Glenda leads with a servant’s heart, describing her mission as keeping people connected and her team empowered to be their best every day. Active with groups from the American Association of Blacks in Energy to WBEC South, she’s known to her team simply as “The Light.”
About Electra Grid Solutions 📍 Booth 111
Electra Grid Solutions is a minority and women-owned infrastructure contractor powering the electric utility industry with safe, high-quality construction and maintenance. The team helps utilities strengthen grid reliability and modernize aging infrastructure, keeping communities connected when it matters most.
Letisha Randle – CEO at PRH Group
Letisha Randle is the CEO and co-owner of PRH Group. She drives the company’s growth through an unwavering focus on safety, quality, and customer satisfaction, steering PRH into the green-energy future while keeping reliability at its core.
About PRH Group 📍Booth 308
PRH Group, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Saginaw, Michigan, is an electrical construction company specializing in overhead distribution, transmission lines, substations, and storm restoration. When the lights go out in the toughest conditions, PRH is built to bring them back.
Louise Lascik – CEO at Travel Leaders
Louise Lascik is the CEO of Travel Leaders. She’s spent nearly 40 years in business travel, routinely trimming clients’ travel spend by 20%. Off the clock she teaches yoga to people with spinal cord injuries, volunteers with seniors, and is determined to one day shred electric guitar around a campfire.
About Travel Leaders 📍Booth 104
Travel Leaders is a WBENC-certified firm that takes the headache out of corporate travel – cutting costs, lifting traveler satisfaction, and integrating expense management. Their promise is simple: help clients travel smart and achieve more.
Gloria Bohan – CEO of Omega World Travel
Gloria Bohan is the founder and CEO of Omega World Travel. She built Omega from a single agency in 1972 into one of the nation’s largest woman-owned businesses — a true pioneer for women in travel. At the conference you’ll meet Proposals Manager Pam Welliver, ready to map out the right solution for your organization.
About Omega World Travel 📍Booth 226
Omega World Travel is a woman-owned global travel management company with more than 54 years of experience in business travel, meetings, events, and group bookings. Blending advanced technology with personal service, Omega delivers cost savings, traveler support, and duty-of-care expertise worldwide.
Kelly Kolar-Eyman – President & Founder at Kolar Design
Kelly Kolar-Eyman is the President and Founder of Kolar Design. She’s spent 30+ years at the intersection of brand, space, and human experience, and now brings AI into the mix through her platform KXInnovations. An adjunct professor and First Vice-Chair of the WBENC National Forum, she believes design has the power to inspire, heal, and change lives.
About Kolar Design 📍 Booth 601
Kolar Design transforms spaces with brand-led strategy that connects people, process, and place. Using data-driven insight, the award-winning firm helps Fortune 500s, civic institutions, and healthcare systems optimize real estate through human-centered experience.
Tracey Grace – President & CEO at IBEX IT Business Experts
Tracey Grace is the President and CEO of IBEX IT Business Experts. She left corporate America to build IBEX from the ground up, leading projects for NASA, the CDC, and Fortune 500s along the way. A connector and lifelong learner, she believes strong relationships and smart strategy are still the most powerful competitive advantages.
About IBEX IT Business Experts 📍 Booth 1111
IBEX IT Business Experts is the creator of Nectar IQ, an intelligent supplier-orchestration platform that helps enterprises centralize supplier data, streamline engagement, and make smarter decisions. From onboarding to spend analytics, IBEX turns supplier management into a competitive edge.
Maryann Pagano – CEO & Co-Founder at BlackHawk Data
Maryann Pagano is the CEO and co-founder of BlackHawk Data. She brings 20+ years of leadership to the company, which she’s grown to 55+ employees and multiple industry awards since founding it in 2018. A WPO Fast 50 and EY Winning Women honoree, she’s passionate about mentoring and advancing women in technology.
About BlackHawk Data 📍 Booth 1110
BlackHawk Data is a fast-growing, woman-owned technology solutions provider that cuts through the complexity of modern IT to deliver real client outcomes. Since 2018 it has scaled into a nationally recognized firm earning honors like the CRN Top 500 and Fast Growth 150.
Valerie Mayén – Owner & Designer at Yellowcake Shop
Valerie Mayén is the owner and designer of Yellowcake Shop. A Project Runway alum and ethical-fashion advocate, she designs clothing meant to make women feel powerful and like their favorite selves. Her new Valerie Mayén Collection leans into bolder silhouettes and luxe fabrics – and she’d truly love to meet you.
About Yellowcake Shop 📍 Find them on the show floor – Retail
Yellowcake Shop is a Latina-owned, women-led fashion brand from Cleveland making ethically produced, versatile staples for the everyday professional woman. Clean, classic, and built to last, the line is designed to simplify your wardrobe — and your mornings.
Ebony Smith – President at Ebenum Equation
Ebony Smith is the President of Ebenum Equation. She’s spent 15+ years helping leaders unlock clarity, connection, and courageous action — now at the intersection of human leadership and AI. An ICF Master Certified Coach and 2026 WBENC Host Committee member, she helps leaders make faster, more human-centered decisions in a fast-moving world.
About Ebenum Equation 📍Host Committee
Ebenum Equation helps organizations strengthen leadership pipelines and navigate AI-driven transformation through executive coaching, strategy, and program design. Leaders trust the firm to turn complex concepts into scalable programs across finance, technology, and retail.
Renée Conlee – COO & Managing Partner at EventBuilder
Renée Conlee is the COO and Managing Partner of EventBuilder. She was in the virtual-events world before most people had heard the word “webinar,” joining the company in 2006 and rising to COO in 2016. For clients, she’s the guarantee that the team behind their events is run by a hands-on, seasoned event professional.
About EventBuilder 📍 Booth 1027
EventBuilder plans, manages, and produces virtual, hybrid, and in-person events for enterprise teams using proprietary software built alongside Microsoft Teams. The company has delivered over 75,000 events for Microsoft alone — from training programs to global summits.
Tammy Cohen, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer at InfoMart
Tammy Cohen is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of InfoMart. Known as the “Queen of Screen,” she’s a three-decade screening pioneer named among Atlanta’s Top 20 Women-Owned Firms and a Stevie “Maverick of the Year.” She’s now building a digital Career Wallet to reinvent how people manage their professional credentials.
About InfoMart 📍 Booth 922
InfoMart is one of the top 10 background screening and identity companies in the industry, giving businesses the insights they need to hire compliantly and confidently. With 35+ years of expertise and industry-leading turnaround times, it’s a trusted partner in risk mitigation.
Jessica Walther, CEO & Co-Founder at Itivate
Jessica Walther is the CEO and co-founder of Itivate. After leading procurement and transformation inside Fortune 50 environments, she saw how often growing companies scale into chaos. Today she helps founders grow profitably while helping corporations build higher-performing supplier ecosystems.
About Itivate 📍 Booth 437
Itivate is the only supplier accelerator led by former Fortune 50 buyers and operators, giving founders insider access to the systems they need to scale. Through its Align My Company scaling system, it helps businesses grow without founder overload – while strengthening corporate supply bases.
Joanne Jones, Business Development Manager at KERAMIDA
Joanne Jones is the Business Development Manager at KERAMIDA. A professional connector, she works at the intersection of strategy, relationships, and environmental impact. She’s energized by partnerships that deliver both revenue and real sustainability outcomes. Stop by if you’re building something with the planet in mind.
About KERAMIDA 📍 Booth 1424
KERAMIDA, founded in 1988, is a global sustainability, EHS, and engineering advisor trusted by industry, power, oil & gas, and financial institutions. For nearly four decades the WBENC-certified firm has guided corporate giants toward resilience and stewardship.
Kellé Thorpe, Founder & CEO at Kommas with Kellé
Kellé Thorpe is the Founder and CEO of Kommas with Kellé. She guides founders past the point where revenue grows but profit, cash flow, and wealth don’t keep pace. She gives CEOs the visibility and accountability to scale intentionally — turning growth into lasting freedom and wealth.
About Kommas with Kellé 📍 Booth 831
Kommas with Kellé is a strategic CFO advisory firm that helps high-achieving women CEOs turn revenue into real, sustainable wealth. Through fractional CFO services and its forward-looking Financial Roadmap, the firm aligns business performance with personal financial goals.
Denise Merritt, CEO & Founder at Merritt Business Solutions
Denise Merritt is the CEO and Founder of Merritt Business Solutions. With 35+ years in HR and benefits, she takes a consultative, educational approach to solving clients’ toughest people challenges. Her mission is pointed: help minority-owned businesses achieve economic equality — and always do the right thing.
About Merritt Business Solutions 📍 Booth 924
Merritt Business Solutions is a concierge HR outsourcing firm that connects businesses with exactly the benefits, PEO, payroll, and compliance solutions they need. From compensation analysis to complex audits — even global Employer of Record — MBS handles the sourcing so clients can focus on their mission.
Allison Maslan, CEO & Founder at Pinnacle Global Network
Allison Maslan is the CEO and Founder of Pinnacle Global Network. She built Pinnacle to help founders step out of the day-to-day and into a freer, more meaningful life. Her mentors have “been there and done it,” guiding leaders to shave years off the path to a self-sustaining company.
About Pinnacle Global Network 📍 Booth 609
Pinnacle Global Network gives 7-to-9-figure founders direct access to seasoned CEO mentors, signature strategies from its SCALEit Method, and a worldwide peer network built for momentum. The main goal: build team-managed companies that can scale without the founder.
Cate Heaman, CEO at Prelude Solutions
Cate Heaman is the CEO of Prelude Solutions. She leads a firm that doesn’t sell technology – it helps organizations recover real, measurable dollars and reinvest them in growth. Through the Prelude Cares Network, a portion of revenue flows back to nonprofits driving workforce development and economic mobility.
About Prelude Solutions 📍 Booth 930
Prelude Solutions helps organizations reclaim capital hidden in one of their most overlooked expenses: technology. Through its vendor-agnostic Prelude Process, the firm renegotiates telecom, cloud, mobility, and data services for an average 33% verified savings — on a success-based model where clients pay only for results.
Tatiana Dominguez, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Spark Hive
Tatiana Dominguez is the Founder and Fractional Chief Innovation Officer of Spark Hive. A creative strategist and systems thinker, she helps founders turn what they feel into something they can build. She founded Spark Hive on a simple belief: clarity is a founder’s most powerful tool, and no one should have to build alone.
About Spark Hive 📍 Booth 733
Spark Hive is a strategic innovation and AI studio for visionary founders, turning bold ideas into scalable systems and custom AI tools. From brainstorming labs to fractional innovation leadership, it bridges the gap between messy brilliance and repeatable action.
Janeen Zook, President & CEO at Trattativa
Janeen Zook is the President and CEO of Trattativa. She leads a team with more than 100 years of combined hospitality experience, serving as a seamless extension of her clients’ organizations. She and her team execute intentionally and serve passionately so clients can be fully present at their own events.
About Trattativa 📍 Booth 1011
Trattativa is a full-service event management company based in Las Vegas, bringing strategic vision (not just party planning) to meetings, conferences, and corporate events. Since 2007 it has built a reputation for precision, reliability, and unforgettable experiences.
Louise Leduc Kennedy – Founding Attorney at West Hill Technology Counsel
Louise Leduc Kennedy is the Founding Attorney of West Hill Technology Counsel. A tech-savvy legal strategist with two decades of experience, she guides everyone from startups to Fortune 100s through AI, data privacy, M&A, and software commercialization. She founded West Hill to redefine the modern law firm, integrating work, family, and community into its definition of success.
About West Hill Technology Counsel 📍 Booth 910
West Hill Technology Counsel is a women-led law firm helping IP-focused technology businesses grow, manage risk, and prepare for successful exits. Practicing law differently from day one, the firm delivers proactive, practical advice – solving problems before they arise.
Michele Downie – Marketing Manager at American Crane & Equipment Corporation
Michele Downie is the Marketing Manager at American Crane & Equipment Corporation. She blends strategy, storytelling, and creativity to shape the brand, drawing on 25+ years in design, advertising, and marketing. She’s the one making sure this 50-year legacy of craftsmanship gets the spotlight it deserves.
About American Crane & Equipment Corporation 📍 Booth 1319
American Crane & Equipment Corporation has led in overhead crane systems, hoists, and material-handling innovation for over 50 years. Built on resilience and precision, the company lives by one principle: Always Lift. Never Quit.
Jill Gaynor, CEO at Premier Packaging
Jill Gaynor is the CEO of Premier Packaging. She became CEO and majority shareholder in 2024, leading one of the largest woman-owned and managed businesses in the country. She’s steering a three-decade legacy into its next chapter of growth across North America.
About Premier Packaging 📍 Booth 427
Premier Packaging has spent over 30 years as a manufacturer, distributor, designer, and problem-solver across all things packaging. Now female owned and operated, the company became a WBENC-Certified WBE in 2025.
Anita MacKenzie, Founder at C-West Custom Fixtures
Anita MacKenzie is the Founder and Owner of C-West Custom Fixtures. She’s spent decades turning concepts into well-built, functional spaces that support her clients’ brands. Her focus has never wavered: quality, reliability, and strong relationships built on clear communication and attention to detail.
About C-West Custom Fixtures 📍 Booth 1304
C-West Custom Fixtures, founded in 1997, is a female-owned designer and manufacturer of custom fixtures for retail and corporate environments. With concept-to-completion services, the team brings clients’ visions to life across North America.
Jennie Ripps, Founder & CEO at Owl’s Brew
Jennie Ripps is the co-founder and CEO of Owl’s Brew. She believes in “drinking wise”, crafting functional adult beverages from ingredients that do more than taste good. Over a decade in, she’s grown the brand into a fixture everywhere from theme parks to your neighborhood grocery.
About Owl’s Brew 📍 Booth 536
Owl’s Brew, founded in 2013, crafts award-winning, small-batch beverages (sometimes boozy) from real tea, real juice, and real botanicals, never artificial shortcuts. You’ll find them at Disney World, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, SoFi Stadium, and beyond.
Meredith Moore – Founder & CEO at Artisan Financial Strategies
Meredith Moore is the Founder and CEO of Artisan Financial Strategies. A WBE-certified business owner herself, she has lived the challenge she now solves for clients from the inside. She brings business value, personal wealth, tax, legal, and protection together so women founders finally have one coordinated game plan.
About Artisan Financial Strategies 📍 Booth 223
Most women building serious businesses have a CPA, an attorney, and a financial advisor, but no one coordinating them. Artisan Financial Strategies is the financial “quarterback” that integrates business value, personal wealth, tax, legal, and protection into one plan.
Rhonda Sargent, President at Lamont, Hanley & Associates
Rhonda Sargent is the President of Lamont, Hanley & Associates. She leads a firm focused on elevating both revenue and reputation, with certified collectors and a professional approach across insurance, healthcare, and manufacturing. Under her leadership, strong recovery results never come at the expense of client relationships.
About Lamont, Hanley & Associates 📍 Booth 711
Lamont, Hanley & Associates is a national accounts-receivable management firm specializing in commercial and B2B collections. Many clients have trusted them for decades to recover past-due accounts while protecting cash flow and customer relationships.
Mary Kariotis, President & CEO at Merrimak Capital
Mary Kariotis is the President and CEO of Merrimak Capital. She leads the firm through a period of unprecedented growth, entering new global markets while deepening its core leasing and asset-recovery business. Under her leadership it has become a trusted partner to many of the world’s largest corporations.
About Merrimak Capital 📍 Booth 1210
Merrimak Capital is a nationally certified woman-owned business and the leading independent leasing and asset-resale company, serving over 25% of the Fortune 500. From equipment leasing to fleet management and asset disposition, Merrimak operates across North America and beyond.
Bernita McCann Hightower – CEO at Next Generation Fuel
Bernita McCann Hightower is the President and CEO of Next Generation Fuel. As a woman in the petroleum industry, she’s a rare and powerful presence, and an intentional role model for the next generation of female leaders. She’s grown the company into one of the top women-owned energy companies in the country.
About Next Generation Fuel 📍 Booth 102
Next Generation Fuel is a certified Women-Owned Small Business and ISO-certified Tier 1 wholesale fuel distributor offering bulk fuel, fleet fueling, DEF, lubricants, and renewable fuels nationwide. More than a supplier, it’s a strategic energy partner focused on quality, cost-efficiency, and sustainability.
Maria Marino, Alex Bernstein & Katherine Anne Connolly – Co-Founders at Panic Panties
Maria Marino, Alex Bernstein, and Katherine Anne Connolly are the co-founders of Panic Panties. Three Syracuse University best friends, they launched the brand in 2019 — and went on to win WBENC’s national pitch competition for innovation. With 16M+ TikTok hashtag views and shelves in major retailers, the trio turned a relatable problem into a fast-growing brand.
About Panic Panties 📍 Booth 727 — Retail
Panic Panties is a certified women-owned brand bringing premium, individually wrapped, ready-to-wear underwear to travelers, gym-goers, and anyone facing a laundry emergency. Now in 5,000+ CVS stores, airports, and boutiques, it’s been called the “L’eggs of underwear.”
Sara Webb, Founder & CEO at InTandem Promotions
Sara Webb is the Founder and CEO of InTandem Promotions. She founded the company in 2013 and brings 20+ years in promotional products to building meaningful, measurable branding programs. She’s grown it into a national and international operation that connects companies with the people they care about.
About InTandem Promotions 📍 Booth 931
InTandem Promotions creates emotional connections through tangible, branded products, backed by in-house creative, technology, decorating, warehousing, and fulfillment. From online stores to global fulfillment, the team supports brands at home and around the world.
Julia Cross, Director of New Business Development at OmniSource Marketing Group
Julia Cross is the Director of New Business Development at OmniSource Marketing Group. She helps brands extend their reach through smart, strategic merchandising. She’s your connection point to a company that’s grown into a multimillion-dollar force in branded marketing.
About OmniSource Marketing Group 📍 Booth 1023
OmniSource Marketing Group is a privately held, Certified Women-Owned brand engagement agency, founded in 1989 by President and CEO Janie Goldberg — who saw potential in a single unused screen-printing press and turned it into a business. Today OmniSource is a $20-million-a-year firm representing brands like PepsiCo, Simon Malls, and Cummins across the globe.
Also on the Floor: Corporate Allies
Not every booth at the expo floor is woman-owned, some are corporate partners who show up at WBENC specifically to do business with women-owned suppliers. These two are worth knowing if you’re building a supplier-diversity program or looking to get into a major supply chain.
About B2Gnow 📍 Booth 1022
B2Gnow is the nation’s leading supplier-diversity, procurement, and grant-management software platform, powering business opportunities for women- and minority-owned suppliers for over 20 years. While not itself woman-owned, it’s led by a notably woman-heavy executive team and is a long-standing champion on the WBENC floor, worth a stop if your organization runs (or wants to run) a supplier-diversity program.
About Dexcom 📍 Booth 1222
Dexcom is a San Diego–based medical device leader known for its continuous glucose monitoring systems for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A publicly traded corporation rather than a woman-owned business, Dexcom comes to WBENC to connect with and grow its base of women-owned suppliers.
If you see someone you should know, go say hello. The best part of WBENC was never the booths, it’s the women behind them, and the doors they open for one another.
