Women's History Month:

During Women’s History Month, WBEC Metro NY and Greater DMV is celebrating our women business owners, whose firms strengthen the economy and our communities. Diana Clemente, CEO of Big Apple Car, Inc., is one of those leaders.

Her story is about building something lasting, and later, discovering the full value of WBENC Certification through active engagement.

Clemente grew up in Brooklyn in a small two-bedroom apartment, sharing a room with her sister and, as she recalls, “yearning for space.” She began her career in accounting, graduating first in her class from Baruch College, becoming a CPA, and joining one of the “Big 8”, Peat, Marwick, and Mitchell, now KPMG.

Then her path changed.

Her parents had made a small investment in a struggling transportation business, and her mother urged her to get involved. At first, Clemente resisted. But after attending a meeting in Sheepshead Bay, where a former partner tried to explain to a very rowdy room of yellow taxi drivers that “black cars”, as they are known, could no longer be added to yellow taxi companies, and why a new company needed to be formed, she saw the opportunity clearly.

The meeting was “chaotic,” she said, but “something in that moment sparked within me. I knew I wanted to be the one to build that new company. That was the beginning of Big Apple Car.”

Diana sat down with her colleague at Peat, Marwick, and Mitchell, and explained she was convinced the time had come to strike out on her own. At the end of that conversation the colleague said something she has never forgotten: “We don’t want to lose you, but I believe you are standing at the threshold of an opportunity that few will ever have.”

Diana founded Big Apple Car in 1983 and ultimately bought out her founding partner. In 1984, at age 27, she became the company’s Controller and within five years she was President. Over time, she built the company into a trusted name in New York City-region luxury ground transportation, with its fleet comprised of Cadillac, Mercedes, Lexus, and Lincoln vehicles.

“I never felt that being a woman held me back,” Diana said. “If anything, early on, I believe it may have been my age more than my gender that caused me to be underestimated. I did not let that define me, and I built Big Apple Car into what it is today, or more importantly, what it was before Uber.”

Diana’s journey with WBEC NY DMV began in 2009, when Big Apple Car became WBENC-certified through WBEC Metro NY. Clemente said WBENC Certification opened doors, especially with corporations looking to diversify their vendor base, but for many years, she “did not fully embrace its potential.”

That changed when she became more active in the WBEC NY DMV network.

Diana spoke warmly and candidly about that shift. “Today, I am fully engaged as an active WBE, and the difference has been extraordinary.” She continued, “I recently completed the WBEC Metro NY SAGE Advice program, which was an incredible experience. I onboarded two interns from LaGuardia Community College at no cost to the company.”

She is also completing one-on-one coaching with a corporate representative whom she connected with through WBEC NY DMV virtual programming and serves as a WBEC NY DMV FORUM Leader helping fellow WBEs take full advantage of their certifications and building a deeper, more connected local community of woman-business owners within the larger network.

“The opportunities, resources, and relationships available through WBENC are truly limitless, and I feel as though I am just getting started,” Diana emphasized.