`senior Eight' On Special Mission 
Longtime Trojan Teammates Eye Final Burst Of Glory

A Grieving Mother Offers A Message 
Last May, Edna Vivian Learned A Cruel Lesson About The Criminal Justice 
System.

By TOM OBRZUT JR.; Times Leader Business Writer
 Tuesday, January 30, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Women now own one-third of the nation's domestic businesses and have become
a major force in the U.S. economy, according to a study released Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Woman-owned companies totaled 6.4 million in 1992, employed 13.2 million
workers and had sales and receipts of $1.6 trillion -- "more than the gross
domestic product of all but a few countries," said the study by the
administration's Interagency Committee on women's Business Enterprise and the
National Women's Business Council. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By 1994, the number of women-owned firms had grown to 7.7 million and had
become "one of the principal driving forces behind economic growth and job
creation in our nation today." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, women often complain investment bankers and other sources of
investment capital do not take their business efforts seriously. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Despite their advances, women-owned businesses face significant obstacles,
including limited access to capital, difficulty in competing for government
contracts and lack of information about where to get assistance," the study
found. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the Small Business Development Center at Wilkes University, local women
are getting help. Senior Business Consultant Melanie Mancuso said the number
of female clients rose from 95 to 334, or 252 percent, between 1994 and 1995. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There is enough awareness now in the community that women know they can
come to us and get some respect," Mancuso said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The study shows that between 1987 and 1992, the number of women-owned
businesses grew by 43 percent. Their sales and receipts increased by 131
percent to $643 billion. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Caren Wilcox, executive vice president of the National Association of Women
Business Owners, said downsizing has thrown many women with significant
training and skills into the job market. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They have parlayed those skills to become managers of their own businesses,
she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Another reason for the increase is the entrepreneurial outlook for young
women is brighter, Wilcox said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's now viewed as an option for younger women to go into business for
themselves," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Women Grab Bigger Piece Of Business Pie