Spotlight on USBLN
The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) like WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) and NMSDC (National Minority Supplier Development Council) is a national third-party certifier. USBLN certifies business that are owned and operated by a person or persons challenged with a disability – those with physical and/or mental impairment; including disabled veteran businesses, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Like the other third-party certifiers the disabled owned business enterprise must be at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned, operated, managed, and controlled by individual(s) with a disability or service-disabled veteran(s) who are either U.S. citizen(s) or lawful permanent resident(s). Other criterion for certification includes that the business:
- Exercise independence from any non-disability-owned business enterprise;
- Have its principal place of business (headquarters) in the United States; and
- Have been formed as a legal entity in the United States.
USBLN defines disabled/disability as: “a physical and/or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of an individual. A Service-Disabled Veteran is a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable, and whose disability was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military, naval, or air service.”
Once certified, a business is offered opportunities for networking, business matching, and education through USBLN.
USBLN also holds an annual conference and expo. Their next one will be held September 29th – October 2nd, 2014 in Orlando, FL (Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld). It will be their 17th annual conference. To learn more about what the annual conference and expo is all about and has to offer check out USBLN’s website for their 2013 conference which was held in Los Angeles, CA.
July 2018: USBLN rebranded as Disability:IN.