All Entries in the "Minority Owned" Category
Newport County Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business After Hours at Rosecliff
MIDDLETOWN, RI – The Newport County Chamber of Commerce will host the Women in Business After Hours on Wednesday, October 14th on the Terrace at Rosecliff. Sponsored by the Preservation Society of Newport County, the Women in Business After Hours provide opportunities for women representing all types of industries and professions to mingle, meet and learn from one another.
The Women in Business Initiative was created to enrich and celebrate the talents and skills of women in business—those who manage people, those who are in a high-level individual contributor role or those who own their own business—through networking events focused on professional development and relationship building.
The Women in Business initiative is a partnership between the Chamber and The Preservation Society of Newport County the initiative provides informative networking events, seminars and forums of interest to local women in business. The program was established by the Newport County Chamber to engage and empower women in business and to support women-owned businesses in Newport County and Rhode Island.
Over one hundred women are expected to attend. Delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be provided by Blackstone Catering featuring Newport beer and wines. The event price is $15 for members and $25 for non-members, RSVP’s can be made at NewportChamber.com and reservations will be held at the door.
The Newport County Chamber of Commerce is the second largest chamber in the state with about 1100 members representing over 50,000 employees and is one of Rhode Island’s largest business advocacy organizations, formed to enhance the business, civic and economic vitality of Newport County and greater Rhode Island. We help business succeed.
All That Matters Shares Top Ten Reasons to Practice Yoga in Honor of National Yoga Month
South Kingstown, R.I. — In honor of National Yoga Month, All That Matters—Rhode Island’s award-winning yoga and holistic health center with locations in Providence, East Greenwich and South Kingstown—has shared 10 reasons to practice yoga. For individuals working at a desk or on their feet, athletes looking to build strength and enhance performance, people in high stress environments, those seeking inner peace and more, the principles, and practice of yoga provide a great foundation for a healthy lifestyle.
“Yoga is for everybody! At All That Matters, we welcome students of all ages and abilities. You don’t need to be fit, flexible, or have special clothing and accessories,” said Joan Dwyer, All That Matters co-founder. “Each yoga class includes deep stretching exercises, rhythmic breathing, and relaxation techniques that can benefit us all!”
Whether looking to manage stress, establish better balance and alignment, complement strength training or simply relax and have fun, the mental and physical practice of yoga—that gracefully weaves together the disciplines of exercise and meditation—can have a dramatic effect on wellbeing. Here are 10 reasons to practice yoga:
1. Stress relief
2. Body pain relief
3. Improved breathing
4. Improved flexibility and mobility
5. Increased strength
6. Weight management
7. Improved circulation
8. Cardiovascular conditioning
9. Improved body alignment
10. Ability to focus on the present
Students new to yoga at All That Matters* are eligible for an Explorer Pass—a special offer for three weeks of unlimited yoga for just $30. With the Explorer Pass, new students can try different classes, times, teachers, styles, and locations. Additionally, the Explorer Pass can be used as a coupon for $30 off the first month of All That Matters Membership (regularly $89 a month).
For more information about All That Matters, visit www.allthatmatters.com. Follow All That Matters on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AllThatMatters), Instagram (@allthatmattersyoga) and Twitter (@ATMyogacenter) for special yoga perks.
* Open to Rhode Island and Bristol County, Mass. residents who have not been to a yoga class at All That Matters, Eyes of the World or Focus Yoga since June 1, 2014.
ABOUT ALL THAT MATTERS
Founded in 1995, All That Matters offers more than 100 weekly yoga and meditation classes—including workshops and professional trainings—at locations in Providence, East Greenwich and South Kingstown. The South Kingstown center includes a retail store as well as health services, ranging from acupuncture and chiropractic to massage and spa treatments. Voted Rhode Island’s Best many times, All That Matters makes it easy to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Learn more at www.allthatmatters.com.
Much Needed Capital to be Available to Small and Minority Businesses for Providence Urban Economic Development
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA) announces a partnership with Freedom National Bank (FNB) of Greenville to make business loans available to small and minority businesses in the Providence urban core. RIBBA was approved for $200,000 in funding last month from the Providence Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) to offer collateral support for loans to area businesses.
Businesses located on three commercial corridors in Providence – Broad Street, Cranston Street and Elmwood Avenue will be eligible for up to 30% cash collateral from RIBBA in support of commercial loans from Freedom National Bank up to $50,000 for business development and expansion. FNB has allocated an aggregate Commitment Amount: Up to $750,000 for small business lending.
“Freedom’s Small Business Loan Department is specifically structured to provide banking services to small businesses”, said Tony Botelho, President, Freedom National Bank. “We understand that small businesses in the urban core have financing and capital needs that don’t fit the corporate model and we’re pleased to partner with RIBBA on this program.”
RIBBA’S president, Lisa Ranglin, declared, “Minority and small businesses in the urban core have generally found it difficult to access commercial loans. RIBBA’s partnership with Freedom National Bank is exciting and will enable small and minority businesses in the Providence urban core to access the capital needed to grow and thrive in place. And, we at RIBBA are very pleased that Mayor Elorza recognized and supported our position that fostering economic inclusion for small and minority businesses is key to leveraging urban core business enterprises, helping them to grow their bottom line so they can scale up and create permanent, full time jobs within the community at good wages.”
The RIBBA Urban Economic Development program is expected to open in late September.
In addition, RIBBA’s new office Grand Opening celebration is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, 2015. The public is invited to attend the Ribbon-Cutting at 6:15pm. Address: 3 Regency Plaza, Suite 3, Providence RI 02903.
Elizabeth Fernandez Eliza Beauty Academy
Elizabeth Fernandez owns a small room in a building on Broad Street. As you enter the room, it’s hard not to notice the color pink and the piles upon piles of Mary Kay make-up products. There is an unmistakable glitter about the room. In the last year and a half, it is these piles of beauty products that have helped to teach beauty treatment skills to forty students.
Run by Elizabeth, with the help of her daughter Alice Moya as a translator, the Eliza Beauty Studio has not only paved the way for young cosmetologists and their careers, but has also provided services for weddings, beauty pageants, fashion shows, and fundraisers. Elizabeth doesn’t just apply make-up onto individuals’ faces, she also teaches others in her expertise. Elizabeth had practiced cosmetology for ten years before opening up her business.
She was inspired to share her knowledge with others when so many people in her life had expressed interest in learning from her. She helps her students learn the skills they need to get a job in the area of cosmetology, opening up a number of career options to them; one of her former students already has a job working at the Providence Place Mall. Elizabeth has found that, “because all the schools here are [taught] in English,” her ability to speak Spanish makes her business unique and has undoubtedly contributed to the success surrounding it.
In meeting with Elizabeth it was very apparent that she not only enjoyed what she was doing, but truly believed it made a difference in others’ lives. She convinced me that her business made her community better. The joy and happiness she expressed while telling her story was the same enthusiasm that helped her to build such a successful business. When I asked what the best part about her business is, Elizabeth responded, “it’s like a party, its not like a regular school, it’s a fun place, and people love to be here.”
At the Center for Women and Enterprise, Elizabeth got her first lessons on building a business plan. She found that “everything is not like a game.” “Building my business plan at the CWE,” she said, “helped me organize my business plan, do the right thing for my business, and look for the information I needed to know for everything.” Even just understanding the importance of an announcement over the radio and an advertisement in the newspaper helped the Eliza Beauty Studio start off on the right foot. Elizabeth hopes to move her one-and-a-half-year-old business into a larger room by December of 2010. With the rate at which her popularity is growing, it is clear that this goal is realistic. The three-month-long classes that she holds for her students are gaining legitimacy and her client base is increasing.
With the help of the CWE, Elizabeth was able to put into action a vision that she is passionate about.
