The Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, through its Women of Commerce Council, is launching its first-ever mentoring program to support the growth of and provide resources to professional women and women business owners in the region.
The eight-month mentoring program, Leading Your Business Present to Future, is intended to provide peer-to-peer mentoring to women entrepreneurs, startups, early-stage and mature businesses.
There is no cost to participate in the program, which is open to the public.
The mentoring program is an extension of the mission of the WOC Council, which is to increase the earning potential for professional women through empowerment, education and elevation at the county, state and federal levels and in the private sector.
The WOC Council is a cohort of professional women from the Hudson County chamber.
The program, which will offer educational workshops focused on mentoring, marketing, negotiation strategies, public speaking and access to capital, is a collaboration of the following partners:
- Hudson County Chamber of Commerce Foundation Inc.;
- Women of Commerce Council of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce;
- Ponce Bank;
- Mission 50 Coworking Spaces;
- Score Northeast New Jersey;
- Carolyn AlRoy;
- Agency 6B.
Wanda Matos, the director of nonprofit services at the Union City branch of Ponce Bank, said the program fills a need.
“In this challenging business environment that we are all experiencing, given the COVID-19 pandemic and now rising inflation, it is imperative that women in business have the latest and most up-to-date business strategies in order to further thrive and continue to be successful in their respective field of endeavors,” she said.
“Empowering women to excel in business is among the most important steps we can take to ensure the success not just of women, but the success of the entire community. We at Ponce Bank are proud to take part in this important initiative, and we look forward to working with the Women of Commerce in the days ahead to assist them in this very worthwhile endeavor.”
Those interested in serving as a mentee or mentor can apply, starting Monday through Feb. 21. Those accepted into the program will be invited to an orientation session in March with a mentor match event followed by 12 educational workshops.
For more information, call 201-386-0699, ext. 220, or email info@hudsonchamber.org.
