Popular App Saves Small Business

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A struggling Washington ice cream shop has reaped the benefit of the new Pokemon GO app craze. This is the story of owner Gary Dear and Mad Hatter’s Ice Cream in Anacortest. Located just across the street from one of the app’s “Poke-stops,” which players visit to collect Pokeballs and other app items, the small business is being saved by the hundreds of weekly visitors who see the shop across the street and can’t resist stopping in for a frozen treat.

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Announcing FHFA OMWI Director Sharron P.A. Levine at Women’s Diversity & Inclusion Conference

NAWRB’s 3rd Annual

Women’s Diversity and Inclusion Conference

Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa, CA

August 30th-31st, 2016

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Sharron P.A. Levine
Director, Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI)
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)

As FHFA OMWI Director, Sharron P.A. Levine ensures women, minorities, service-disabled veterans and individuals with disabilities receive fair and equal treatment in job and business opportunities at the FHFA and regulated entities. Prior to joining the FHFA, Levine practiced law for 30 years and served in the general counsel’s office of Fannie Mae from 1999 to 2011.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is an independent federal agency that acts as regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks. In this role, the FHFA strives to “strengthen and secure the United States secondary mortgage markets.”

Also Contracting Opportunities:

FHFA PAID $10,552,620
in contracts
to minority women-owned businesses in 2015

FHFA PAID $3,910,111 in contracts to women-owned businesses with no minority status in 2015


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Diversity and Inclusion: How Does it Affect You?

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  • Corporate Social Responsibility– Who is serious about utilizing women-owned businesses?
  • Matchmaking– Business opportunities for women in the housing ecosystem
  • Microsoft Office 365– Customized training, special offers for Non-profits
  • Globalization– Consequences on your business and day-to-day operations
  • Emerging Markets– Increasing women’s homeownership and decreasing women’s poverty

Limited Matchmaking Opportunities Sign Up Today!

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Matchmaking Opportunities for Women in Housing at NAWRB Conference

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The 3rd Annual NAWRB Women’s Diversity and Inclusion Conference not only brings you expert speakers and leaders in the housing ecosystem, it gives attendees the chance to personally meet and discuss business opportunities with these trailblazers and entities.
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The Many Necessary Steps to Diversity and Inclusion

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Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is one of the hottest topics in the housing ecosystem and American workplace as a whole. One of the biggest issues concerning the inclusion of women and minorities is accountability, and the ways in which we can ensure that agencies and companies truly implement D&I into their cultures.

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Women of Influence 2016 – HousingWire recognizes the most influential women in housing

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For the sixth time, HousingWire is recognizing women leading out in our industry in mortgage lending, servicing, investing and real estate with our Women of Influence award.

Although these 43 women represent a range of occupations within the housing economy, all of them demonstrate leadership that inspires those in their own company, in their communities and in the industry at large.

Some of our 2016 award winners have worked their way up in traditional mortgage companies, while others started their own businesses. They have made their mark in marketing, technology, economics, compliance, asset management, operations and business development. Their fields of accomplishments vary but their impact is indisputable.

Reading through this year’s nominations, one of the things that stood out about our winners is their tremendous value to the companies they run, or work for. This value comes not only from the job duties they perform — although those were impressive on their own merits — but also in the way they lead and mentor others within their companies.

Many of our winners mentor other women in the industry, run internship programs for college students or work with business groups in disadvantaged areas. Others coordinated volunteer programs for their employees or served on advisory boards that inform the industry. Investing time and effort to see others succeed is a hallmark of this group, and should be celebrated in its own right.

We’re happy to do just that, and invite you to find out more about each of these winners, the most influential women in housing.  FIND THE FULL LIST HERE

Screen Shot 2016-08-01 at 9.38.17 AMAs CEO of the National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses, Desiree Patno champions the contributions women are making in the industry and works to support and sustain women-owned businesses.

As part of that effort, Patno created the Women’s Global Resource Center to connect women in housing with a depository of vendors and clients to increase opportunities for inclusion at all levels. She also created the Women in Housing Financial Fitness Road Show, partnering with the Small Business Administration to increase business growth and opportunities.

Patno led NAWRB’s Women’s Homeownership Initiative, dedicated to preparing women for owning a home and improving data collection for women’s homeownership. By increasing women’s homeownership throughout the nation, NAWRB is helping decrease women’s poverty and cement women’s personal and professional strides.

Patno also filled a pivotal role in creating conversation between the FDIC, CFPB, FHFA and SBA regarding housing issues and the manners in which they could best serve and aid consumers.

In addition, Patno created NAWRB Magazine, an international publication featuring exclusive interviews, business development tools, access to capital and market studies, in addition to federal initiatives and legislation updates affecting the housing economy’s women.

She also made history for women with NAWRB’s inaugural conference as she interviewed Dodd-Frank’s Section 342 author, Rep. Maxine Waters, and associated OMWI executive directors. She brought women-owned small businesses full circle by featuring Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae supplier diversity, financial institutions and several of the agencies associated with the Small Business Administration, including the oversight of the use of small businesses.

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