FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tawana Jacobs, 301-315-2207
Maryland Women’s Business Center Celebrates National Women’s Small Business Month
Local Entrepreneurs Receive Honors; Mali Phonpadith, CSR Expert Delivers Keynote
Rockville, MD, October 17, 2018—At today’s National Women’s Small Business Month celebration, the Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC) presented 2018 achievement awards to local women entrepreneurs representing management consulting, global exporting, the life sciences and marketing. Also recognized were dedicated supporters of the program, which included corporate partner and business volunteer award winners. The luncheon’s keynote speaker, Mali Phonpadith, SEO of SOAR Community Network, inspired the crowd with a message about the importance of impactful communications in business and shared lessons learned in her journey as an entrepreneur.
MWBC 2018 Awardees
- Woman Entrepreneur of the Year: Merceditas Roxas-Murray, CEO, Montage Montage Marketing Group
- StartRight Business Plan Competition Winner: Teri Olivier, Founder, Celebrate! Work from Home
- Woman Exporter of the Year: Makeba Clay, President & CEO, Innovative Global Solutions Consulting, LLC
- Woman Innovator of the Year: Mina Izadjoo, Ph.D., President & Chief Science Officer, Integrated Pharma Services
- Minority Woman Business of the Year: Renee Y. Watson, President/CEO, PROAC, Inc.
- Corporate Partner of the Year: Alvin Jones, The Alvin Jones Communications Group
- Volunteer of the Year: Jamie Kent Hamelburg, Esq., Press, Dozier & Hamelburg, LLC
“The business owners we’re honoring this year, who represent such diverging industries, illustrate why Maryland is a top state in the country for women entrepreneurs. They are shining examples of what women are doing all over the state. Their success also confirms MWBC’s impact in offering education and training to up-and-coming women entrepreneurs,” said MWBC Managing Director Kiesha Haughton. “Of course, the work we do, and today’s event would not be possible without the collective participation of a dedicated team of staff, volunteers, partners, and sponsors,” Haughton concluded.
This year’s top event sponsors were Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) at gold and Shulman Rogers at silver. TEDCO, M&T Bank, Rockville Town Square, Emmes, and First Energy were bronze sponsors. AARP Maryland, Cines Consulting, FedmineUS, Intelligent Office, Maryland Department of Commerce, Montage Marketing, PROARC, Inc, City of Rockville, Sandy Spring Bank, SnyderCohn, Westat, Women’s Business Owners (WBO) of Montgomery County, and Woodard & Associates were table sponsors.
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About the Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC)
MWBC is an initiative of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) that was established in 2010 to help women in the region start, build, and grow successful women-owned enterprises. From its three locations in Rockville, Frederick, and Bowie, MWBC provides training workshops, business counseling, and access to unique business resources.