Fueled by the continuous growth of women-owned businesses, Wells Fargo today announced the expansion of its Women's Business Services' national awards program at this year's National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) National Conference. At next year's event, Wells Fargo will recognize three Trailblazer Award winners with $5,000 cash awards. This year, Wells Fargo and NAWBO recognized New York businesswoman Adrian Guglielmo as the third annual Trailblazer Award winner during NAWBO's Annual Business Conference and Trade Show. Guglielmo is CEO and owner of Diversity Partners, a Brewster, New York-based company counseling companies on the benefits of services to the disabled, and on making their businesses accessible.

"As women-owned firms continue to be a driving force in the U.S. economy, we want to send a strong message that reinforces Wells Fargo's commitment to their success," said Joy Ott, Regional President for Wells Fargo in Montana and National Spokesperson for Wells Fargo's Women's Business Services program. "We are excited to expand our national awards program beginning with next year's NAWBO event, and are thrilled to recognize this year's winner Adrian Guglielmo, whose business success and commitment to giving back to her community embody all of the ideals we look for in a Trailblazer Award winner."

"Our programs have been very successful in reaching out to this vital community," said Guglielmo. "We have an unwavering commitment to make the world a better place for people with disabilities, but many companies have yet to tap into the spending power and potential of this market segment."

The NAWBO/Wells Fargo Trailblazer Award showcases the achievements of extraordinary women business owners who exemplify a "trailblazing" spirit. The award recipient and three finalists -- chosen from a pool of applicants from across the country -- were selected based on their companies' business performance, innovation, growth, and service to the community.

Wells Fargo's Women's Business Services program is an outreach and education program aimed at building relationships with women business owners by sponsoring key community organizations and market research.

Measuring its progress with a new public goal to lend $20 billion to qualified woman-owned businesses within ten years, Wells Fargo has lent more than half a billion dollars since re-establishing the goal in September 2003. Since the program's inception in 1995, Wells Fargo has lent more than $17 billion to women business owners nationwide.