Female Hoboken entrepreneurs and business leaders have found opportunities to connect with their like-minded peers with the emergence of the Women in Business Council, launched last year as part of the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce. Since then, the burgeoning group has played host to a speakers’ series and a number of events that bring women in business together to network.
Recognizing influential business leaders
“There are a lot of women in business in town,” said Elizabeth Barry, of Elizabeth Barry & Associates, a PR and marketing firm. As a founding member, she has been instrumental in providing a platform that promotes the work of the members in the council.
She said the idea originated with Michael Novak, president of the Hoboken Chamber, as a way to grow women’s businesses, recognize their influence within the community, and support women through advocacy, empowerment, and networking.
_____________“The women are so grateful that they have this place to come to meet other women business leaders.” – Elizabeth Barry
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The group had its first meeting in April 2011.
“Then we started with a barbecue at the Hoboken Business Center,” said Barry. “We had a crowd of over 100 attendees.” The council is currently comprised of 25 members from different fields including medicine, real estate, public relations, communications, design, banking, and politics among others.
The council launched an Influential Women in Business Speaker Series, a quarterly event that featured Alice Gast last September. She was the first female president of Lehigh University.
The next series event will take place in March. The first mixer was held this month.
Providing a support system
“There are certain things that bring us together more as a community,” said Barry. The council has fostered a supportive and empowering environment that encourages synergy and synchronicity amongst women business leaders.
“It breaks down walls and barriers,” said Barry. “The women that have joined are so grateful that they have this place to come to meet other women business leaders.” Barry said the council has led to unique connections driven by the desire to support rather than compete.
“We all go through the same business obstacles,” said Barry. She said that the Women in Business Council provides opportunities for female business leaders to learn from one another and share advice and ideas.
“There have been a lot of unique relationships that have come together,” added Barry. She said women have made discoveries in regard to the resources available within the group.
Featuring members
“I understand the value of blogging and branding and that is what we do for a living,” said Barry. For her, building a blog was “old hat,” and she saw it as a way to reach more women while promoting the work of the individual members. She created the online presence for the group.
“We get to learn about the personal characteristics of each of the members in a different way, [and] at the next meeting we know each other a little bit more,” said Barry. “Each one of the members can use that [blog] link as press and PR for themselves [and] that can take the chamber to an all-new place.”
Nutritionist Inna Topiler was featured on the blog in January. By reading her profile, one learns a number of details from her business ethics to her favorite Hoboken restaurant. The profile says she values compassion and understanding as traits that establish client trust, and has conquered the pitfalls of multitasking and trying to take on too much.
On the site, Barry provides guidance specific to marketing businesses in Hoboken while also emphasizing the importance of branding integrity. Others featured have included Michelle Albrizio, director of communications at Atlantic Environmental Solutions, real estate agent Norma DeRuggierio, and Dr. Kathia Roberts.
Future of growth
“We are definitely looking forward to educating new women and new members about what it is that we are doing and what it is that we do,” said Barry.
She anticipates the Women in Business council will continue to grow and inspire. The group has a Facebook fan page, regular meetings, and ongoing events.
To learn more about the Women in Business Council, visit: http://womeninbusinesscouncil.blogspot.com Adriana Rambay Fernández may be reached at afernandez@hudsonreporter.com.
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