On Wednesday, April 28th at 5:00 pm, the Vermont Women’s Fund and the Vermont Community Foundation are jointly hosting “This Way Up,” a virtual event to explore the potential of women entrepreneurship, the opportunities and pitfalls of corporate ownership investigate why gender affects financial results.
Four women entrepreneurs from southern Vermont will attend the event, hosted by Jane Lindholm of Vermont Public Radio.
This topic is a mystery in Vermont as there is no conclusive data on the number of women owned businesses in the state. Based on US census data, the Change The Story initiative released a 2016 report on “Women Entrepreneurs and the TT Economy,” which found there are approximately 23,000 women-owned companies in the state.
“Women entrepreneurs have tremendous potential to start new businesses, grow their earnings significantly, and hire a employee or two – and we haven’t properly focused on their needs and barriers,” said Meg Smith, director of the Vermont Women’s Fund. “With the right tools and technical support, women entrepreneurs can help strengthen the Vermont economy along with their own communities. With Vermont women’s job losses among the highest in the nation, this is the time to build women’s entrepreneurship in our state. “
The Vermont Women’s Fund and Community Foundation are excited to have four community leaders attending the event: Julie Lineberger of Wheel Pad in Wilmington, Jewelz Johnson of Jewelz Food Truck and Catering in Bellows Falls, Lisa Lorimer of MamaSezz Foods (and former owner of the Vermont Bread Company) in Brattleboro and Nancy Koziol of Couch + Cork in Bennington.
Additional references to local women-owned businesses are included in a gift box that is available for the price of a $ 20 ticket. Ticket holders will receive a mix of products from Tavernier Chocolates, Small Batch Organics, Dorset Daughters, the JJHapgood General Store and Eatery, OWL Energy Bars and Rosie’s Wonders Connection Cards in the mail. “This Way Up” is sponsored by local sponsors: Bank of Bennington, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, Mascoma Bank and Cabot Cheese.
The Vermont Community Foundation inspires donation and brings people and resources together to make a difference in Vermont. As a family of hundreds of funds and foundations, we provide advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise that make it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love. We imagine Vermont at its best – where everyone has the opportunity to build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call (802) 388-3355 for more information. For information on our COVID-19 response, please visit vtcovid19response.org.
The Vermont Women’s Fund is the state’s first and largest philanthropic resource created specifically to benefit women and girls in Vermont. Founded in 1994, a fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, the company makes annual grants to nonprofit organizations across the state that support women and girls with programs that promote economic self-sufficiency, professional development, and system change. Learn more at vermontwomensfund.org.
