2014 Entrepreneurial Women to Watch
On November 4th from 6-9pm, RISBJ is holding an awards ceremony at The Dorrance in Providence to honor the 7 winners of the 2014 Entrepreneurial Women to Watch Awards.
If you would like to join us, tickets may be purchased for $20 in advance online at http://risbj.eventbrite.com/ or for $30 at the door.
RISBJ wishes to congratulate the following winners (no specific order):
- Blythe Penna, Ruffin’ Wranglers
- Lynne Bryan Phipps, The Compass School
- Nancy Parker Wilson, Greenvale Vineyards
- Alison Bologna, Shri Studio
- Jessica Wood, Fire and Water Restaurant Group
- Alayne White, Alayne White Spas
- Lynsey Colgan, A Child’s University
It is estimated that there are over 8.6 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating over $1.3 trillion in revenues and employing nearly 7.8 million people. Between 1997 and 2013, when the number of businesses in the United States increased by 41%, the number of women-owned firms increased by 59%.* In Rhode Island alone, women-owned businesses account for roughly one third of all registered companies.
RISBJ wanted to recognize the exceptional women of Rhode Island who make up this quickly growing segment, so we created the 2014 Entrepreneurial Women to Watch Awards. It was our goal to find the most confident, tenacious, professional and sophisticated industry leaders in our state, and we ended up receiving almost 400 nominations! Our selection committee, comprised of members of the entrepreneurial community in Rhode Island, was inundated with remarkable success stories, and narrowing the nominations down to just seven winners was certainly a most difficult job. In the end, winners were selected based on a mix of their character, mission, career path, and growth, as well as their dedication to promoting women entrepreneurship in Rhode Island.
*The 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. American Express OPEN, http://bit.ly/16CEkfJ
The 2014 Entrepreneurial Women to Watch is sponsored by BankRI, Horton Interpreting Services, Doorley Agency, Capitol Home Care and The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
