Idaho Women’s Business Center strives to empower Idaho businesswomen

BURLEY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Whether it’s working the field, managing livestock or balancing books, women have been a vital part of Idaho’s biggest industries for generations.

Now, the Idaho Women’s Business Center is working to ensure those women are empowered to thrive in industries most think as male-dominated.

“It is essential that we identify the Idaho women and businesses that are in agriculture,” said Executive Director Diane Bevan. “We need to uplift them and scream their stories from the hilltops.”

The program provides events, like today in Burley, that offer businesswomen opportunities to network and gather skills to grow in their industry.

“Everyone should have a mentor,” said State Outreach Director Susie Rios, “that’s how I am who I am today, because of all the mentors throughout the state of Idaho.”

One of the goals of the Women’s Business Center is to assure that the concept that large industries are male-driven becomes an idea of the past.

“It’s wonderful because we automatically don’t assume that women are in agriculture or in the technologies or in some of those predominantly male-dominated fields,” Bevan said.

Even men in attendance at the center’s events agree the more women are given growth opportunities, the better off the whole state will be.

“Very important. I think we are evolving as time goes on and opportunities are there,” said Mike Gaxiola of Gaxiola LLC., “women evolving in the business area means more opportunities for everybody.”

The Idaho Women’s Business Center has biweekly events all around the Gem State, for more information about when and where the events are, visit the Idaho Women’s Business Center website.

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