Another Reason to Celebrate! The OrganWise Guys is a Certified Women-Owned Business
The OrganWise Guys Inc. is now a Certified Women Owned Business by the Greater Women’s Business Council
(a regional partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council—WBENC).
This certification marks one of the major milestones in their journey spanning over 20 years!
Why WOB Certification Matters
Having WOB Certification in hand means they may soon receive more attention and potential business from over 350,000 US companies with Supplier Diversity Programs. More business means they will have more resources and opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle, which is their prime mission.
Many corporations prefer diversity sourcing through Women’s Business Enterprises. As much as 25% of corporate marketing expenditure is allocated in this way, with diversity spending having crossed the $100 billion mark.
How Does a Company Earn WOB Certification?
- They must be a 51% + Women-Controlled Business (the first criterion for being certified)
- They must have a Long Business Tenure
- They must demonstrate Profitability
- They must maintain a high Quality of Services
The Journey So Far
In 1993, two women from different fields came together to create a company to spread awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle to battle childhood obesity. Those women, Dr. Michelle Lombardo and Karen McNamara, are the President and Vice President, respectively, of The Organ Wise Guys Inc.
In its earlier stages, The OrganWise Guys Inc. was associated with adult health. After finding that clients were concerned about their children’s health, The OrganWise Guys Inc. made its foray into preventive strategies for child health.
Over the years, Dr. Lombardo and Karen McNamara have been joined by Caitlin Heitz, Julie Green, and Kim Lucas.
The OrganWise Guys Inc. runs various programs for children—in elementary schools, summer camps, and for parents and health educators by using its evidence-based healthy lifestyle curriculum, which includes books, dolls, videos and much more.
The OrganWise Guys Inc. has entered into partnerships with universities, institutions, public and private health organizations, nutrition experts, and educators to spread health awareness and develop an effective approach to preventing childhood obesity.
FAQs
What types of products do you have for corporate health and wellness programs?
Our signature item for corporate health and wellness programs is our Healthy Kid Box. The Healthy Kid Box is a unique family engagement product that incorporates an evidence-based nutrition, physical activity and healthy living program. This 12-month subscription service delivers a year’s worth of learning and activities for busy parents to do with their children (ages 3-8) at home. The stars of the Healthy Kid Box are The OrganWise Guy characters, such as Hardy Heart; The Kidney Brothers; Sir Rebrum, the brain and more! Each month, a new “organ” arrives and highlights the importance of the simple healthy lifestyle habits that we can all incorporate into our daily life. Kids will look forward to receiving this host of fun and engaging activities such as books, activity books, posters, tattoos, links to videos, etc. Parents will enjoy the opportunity to implement this turnkey program in the comfort of their home without having to do any preparation! It’s just clean family fun that is also building the foundation for lifelong healthy habits.
For onsite wellness initiatives, we have our Foods of the Month (FoM) program that is a social marketing campaign to encourage employees to make healthy choices at lunchtime while also livening up their eating environment! Through FoM, people learn about nutrient-dense foods and why they want to select these foods daily. FoM also teaches the nutritious characteristics of these healthy foods and why they are so important to achieve optimal health. This colorful kit includes posters, buttons, newsletter (with facts and recipes) and much more.
Does your program have any evidence behind it?
Yes! The OrganWise Guys is the number one childhood obesity prevention program in the country. A 3-year quasi-experimental study was conducted on 4500 children in three states. The research published in top-tier journals on the school program (as well as new outcomes on the early childhood program), show statically significant improvements in children’s BMI percentiles, waist circumference, blood pressure and standardized test scores. These types of data distinguish OWG as a market leader.
Who are some of your partner organizations?
During the course of 23 years, we have had the pleasure of working with a host of like-minded partners who share the goal of moving the needle on obesity in a positive direction. Click here to see an extensive list of funders and implementers.
How do you get certified as a Women Owned Business?
To become certified as a woman owned business, businesses must show:
- All prospective members must provide clear and documented evidence that at least 51% or more is women-owned, managed, and controlled.
- The business must be open for at least six months.
- The business owner must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident alien.
Evidence must indicate that:
- The contribution of capital and/or expertise by the woman business owner is real and substantial and in proportion to the interest owned.
- The woman business owner must direct or cause the direction of management, policy, fiscal, and operational matters.
- The woman business owner shall have the ability to perform in the area of specialty or expertise without reliance on either the finances or resources of a firm that is not owned by a woman.
We applied for certification though the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). WBENC is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the United States. WBENC, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, partners with 14 Regional Partner Organizations to provide its world class standard of certification to women-owned businesses throughout the country.
Certification is the cornerstone of WBENC’s value proposition. The WBENC certification standard is the most relied upon certification of women-owned businesses. Certification is administered throughout the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands by our 14 Regional Partner Organizations. Internationally, certification is administered by our MOU partner, WEConnect International. The ongoing goal for WBENC certification is to be the most valued certification of women-owned, operated, and controlled businesses, which is recognized by public, private, non-profit and government entities.
