H. Pearce Real Estate Company Receives “Woman Business Enterprise” Certification

North Haven (June 2011) – Barbara L. Pearce, President of H. Pearce Real Estate Company, is pleased to announce that H. Pearce Real Estate Company has received the "Woman Business Enterprise" Certification (WBE) from the Women Presidents' Educational Organization - New York Certification Committee (WPEO-NY) on behalf of Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). "I am thrilled to earn this certification because it adds further credibility to our work," said Barbara Pearce. "I am excited to see the opportunities that it will grant H. Pearce."

WBENC issues a Gold Standard, national certification to women owned businesses to ensure a qualified database of WBENC Certified Women Business Enterprises (WBEs). WBENC Certification verifies that the business is 51 percent owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women. Nearly 800 of the Fortune 1000 Corporations require that a woman-owned business be WBENC certified before providing access to their supplier diversity programs. Many major national corporations, including WBENC National Corporate Members, and federal, state and local government entities actively seeking to conduct business with a woman/women owned business(es) look to Women's Business Enterprise National Council to identify them. In addition to being afforded myriad business opportunities, WBENC Certified WBEs also have access to mentoring, education and capacity development. There are over 10,000 WBENC certified women-owned businesses nationwide.

The H. Pearce Company is a full-service real estate company with five residential and two commercial offices. It was founded in 1958 and remains one of the largest independently owned and operated real estate companies in the Greater New Haven region. Its leader, Barbara L. Pearce, President and CEO, lives by the principal that companies have a responsibility to give back to the communities in which they live and work. To that end, she has served on the boards of many non-profits and local organizations, including the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, Long Wharf Theatre, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, the United Way of Greater New Haven, and the Hospital of Saint Raphael. She founded Women Organizing Women Political Action Committee (WOW-PAC), of which she is the current President. She has also served on the Connecticut Real Estate Commission.

H. Pearce Company's offerings include Pearce Plus Relocation, a full-service relocation company with national and international capabilities. Pearce Plus Relocation serves the needs of corporations, universities, and hospitals throughout the region. In addition, Pearce Plus Senior Services offers full relocation services to seniors who are moving from their family homes to retirement communities. H. Pearce also offers insurance, mortgage, and appraisal products to its residential and commercial clients through its additional subsidiaries: Pearce Financial, Pearce Insurance, and Pearce Appraisal Services. As a member of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the H. Pearce Company has the capability of providing real estate and relocation services worldwide. The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World is a network of the top independent Real Estate Companies throughout the country. The cumulative sales volume of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World is larger than any other national real estate franchise organization.

"Receiving the Woman Business Enterprise Certification will, once again, offer Pearce more opportunities to further expand our reach, to better serve large commercial clients and raise the level of products we offer to our clients. This is a very important certification,” said Barbara Pearce. "Women owned businesses are a growing segment of the economy and we are very proud to have earned this designation."

Founded in 1997, the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned controlled, and operated by women in the United States. The Women Presidents' Educational Organization (WPEO) was founded in 1998 and functions as a regional partner organization (RPO) of the WBENC. The WPEO issues the nationally recognized certification to qualifying women-owned businesses in New York, Northern New Jersey, Southern Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Barbara Pearce can be contacted at 203.281.3400, ext. 304 or by email: blp@hpearce.com. To learn more about H. Pearce Company, Realtors, go to www.hpearce.com.