Your Private Limousine Receives Women’s Business Enterprise Certification

The certificate identifying Your Private Limousine as a WBENC-approved woman-owned business Buffalo Grove, Ill. — Your Private Limousine, owned by Illinois Limousine Association President Tracy Hodge-Raimer, recently received certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Being certified as a company that is both owned and operated by a woman classifies Your Private Limousine (YPL) as a minority business, which means that corporations doing business with it qualify for tax benefits. The certification also means that Hodge-Raimer and her company can receive additional opportunities, resources, and engagement via WBENC and its other certified organizations.

The road to certification required a great deal of time, according to Hodge-Raimer. She dedicated no less than 40 hours to compiling information and filling out the paperwork necessary to verify that YPL has at least 51 percent female ownership.

“We’ve been in business for 19 years, so going back to obtain all of that information definitely was a tedious task,” Hodge-Raimer said. “It’s very serious, in terms of the background check they did of all the information we submitted.”

She added that it was “very easily a four- to five-month process” to accommodate the WBENC’s site visit to YPL, too, which was necessary to ensure that it is a woman-owned company.

While Hodge-Raimer says that “it’s quite the relief” to put the actual certification process behind her, there still is work to be done.

“Now that it’s over with and we’ve been approved, that’s just the first step,” Hodge-Raimer said. “I realize that there are several different actions that I need to take to make the certification work for itself, like networking and letting corporations know that I’m certified, and educating myself on how corporations receive their benefits so I can make sure my corporate accounts are taking advantage of this.”

Visit yourprivatelimo.com for more information about Your Private Limousine, or wbenc.com for more information about WBENC.

[CD0315]