Women's Business Advocates

Equipping women with the financial tools and resources required to lead companies and communities into the future is the work of Women’s Business Development at PNC. An enterprise-wide network of 2,000 PNC-certified Women’s Business Advocates (WBAs) is committed to supporting the financial goals of female financial decision-makers, whether buying a home of her own, building a multimillion dollar business, or achieving a coveted seat on a Fortune 500 board of directors.

One way that PNC helps women lead is by sharing their stories. When PNC-certified WBAs encounter an extraordinary story of inspiration, they can nominate their client for a Women Who Achieve profile. Dozens of women have been featured on pnc.com/women in articles showcasing their struggles and triumphs, all for the dual purpose of recognizing their individual achievements and inspiring other women to persevere.

Sharing is a theme of our Women Who Achieve profiles, for rarely are the women at the center of each story in business solely for their own well-being. Their success and influence can profoundly impact their employees, families, communities and the economy.

Members of the Women Presidents' Organization glam for the PNC camera at the 2018 WPO annual conference.

Consider Margarita Morales-Perez of Gutierrez, Morales-Perez & Associates, a boutique CPA firm in Miramar, Fla. "It’s rewarding helping fellow entrepreneurs expand their businesses and take on new challenges," says Morales-Perez. "We wouldn’t be where we are today without PNC. Our banking team not only helps us with our own working capital needs, but also offers our clients exceptional quality and service."

In St. Louis, Sherry Harsch-Porter, president of PorterBay Insight, Inc., provides leadership development consulting for STEM professionals. She also supports the growth of women-owned companies as chair of a St. Louis chapter of the Women Presidents Organization, a peer-to-peer mentoring group that PNC is proud to support in St. Louis and on a national level. "PNC has been my bank since I started my business, and has supported me through every step in its progression," she says.

In Atlanta, Grace Fricks is president and CEO of Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs — ACE, for short — a nonprofit and community development loan fund that provides capital, coaching and connections primarily to underserved populations including women, minorities and low-income business owners throughout Georgia. Since making its first small business loan in 2000 — $300 to help a woman entrepreneur launch a cleaning service — ACE has provided more than $49 million in loans to 800-plus businesses, which have created or retained nearly 7,000 jobs. Grace finds her relationship with PNC particularly valuable in the area of supporting women. "Thanks to the PNC-certified Women’s Business Advocates program, our lending team has a greater understanding of our mission of serving women and minority business owners," she says. "PNC is tremendously supportive of our goals and programs."

For more about these entrepreneurs and how PNC is helping women lead, visit pnc.com/women.

2,000

Bankers are PNC-Certified Women's Business Advocates