Escalate Solutions, a Denver-based advisory firm focused on leveraging the intersection of strategy, operations and technology, is proud to announce national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council – West, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). The certification process confirms that businesses are at least 51% female owned, operated and controlled; since its founding in 2014, Escalate Solutions has been 100% woman-owned.
WBENC is the nation’s leader in women’s business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with approximately 15,500 certified Women’s Business Enterprises, 14 national Regional Partner Organizations, and over 1,000 corporate members. A number of states, cities, and related entities accept WBENC certification as well.
Escalate’s Founder and CEO, Kimberly Arnold, celebrates this important recognition. “Entrepreneurship fuels the economy, and diversification is critical to long-term success,” she stated. “WBENC provides opportunities, resources and engagement that help raise the profile of organizations like Escalate Solutions among corporations actively seeking to partner with women-owned firms. I am confident that Escalate’s WBENC certification will amplify our scale, reach and capacity.”
Notably, WBENC is also one of only four (4) third-party certifiers authorized by the Small Business Administration’s Federal Contracting Program. Arnold added, “Escalate Solutions has self-certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business the last few years, but as we all know, the formalization of that process changed as of October 2020. WBENC’s role as a third-party certifier for the federal government is a value-add to us as well.”
A long-time supporter of organizations that advocate for women business owners and entrepreneurs, Kimberly is a lifetime charter member of the Women’s Leadership Foundation and former member of the board of directors for the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC). She has also been involved with such organizations as Women in Public Policy (WIPP), National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Global Gaming Women (GGW), and BizWomen Mentoring Monday. Kimberly was recognized as a Denver Business Journal Outstanding Woman in Business in 2014.