In honor of Women’s History Month, the lieutenant governor met with women-owned businesses in Hamden Tuesday, highlighting success and businesses seeking to continue to support the community they are in.
“My family always sort of fed the neighborhood, so this is natural to me and to us here,” Leli Henry, with La Isla Puerto Rican Restaurant in Hamden, said.
Henry welcomed Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, along with local leaders like Hamden’s mayor and the Women’s Business Development Council into the restaurant that’s offering island flavor in the heart of Hamden.
“I just asked them about additional resources so it's that important,” Henry said when talking about what is so valuable about an opportunity like this one.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Everyone had a chance to taste test what Henry and her co-workers have been working on. While taste testing, the state and WBDC gathered input on growth, development, and resources necessary to grow and thrive in town.
“A lot of women took the opportunity during COVID or just after to start pursuing passion projects, to start pursuing a business,” Bysiewicz said.
According to the lieutenant governor, there needs to be a continued increased emphasis on women-owned businesses statewide, and that is exactly where the WBDC has been and will continue to step in, according to their leaders.
Local
“We have literally figured out the recipe for success for women and that is basically support, giving them the program and support necessary at the WBDC,” said Kenyetta Banks, program manager for the central region of the WBDC.
On Tuesday’s tour, they also highlighted Ignite grants, which consist of funding between $2,500 and $10,000 focused on the expansion or growth of a business.
“Anything that is going to have growth attached to it, so that person can again start their business and make it work for them,” Banks said.
The applications for those Ignite grants close Thursday, March 14.
But La Isla wasn’t the only business on the lieutenant governor’s business tour. Up the road, the group made a stop at Denny Chiropractic and Acupuncture to meet two other business leaders.
“This is where the moms and the babies are,” Dr. Eileen Denny, the owner, said.
Her business offers a multitude of family health services, including pediatric and pre-natal chiropractic, family chiropractic, acupuncture, and nutritional counseling.
She has been working in Hamden for 25 years.
“It all starts with an infant and then the rest of the family comes along,” Dr. Denny said.
Tuesday, she had a chance to offer insight on her business practice as a long-standing business owner and to highlight the work she has done with the support of the WBDC.
“Your needs change as business grows and the more years you're in business the more your needs change,” Dr. Denny said.
She noted the success has been found for over two decades because of support and community from other women-owned businesses in the area and beyond.
“Having other women that understand the uniqueness that we bring to a business is essential,” she said.
She was also joined by a neighboring business owner down the road.
“We really are looking to provide culturally responsive care,” Kevnesha Boyd with Quality Counseling said.
Her business provides affordable and accessible mental health services for Black and marginalized communities across the state. They currently serve more than 100 clients.
She offered her own perspective on being a female business owner, and support from other women.
“Even with the professional network, they have been my biggest support in terms of saying my name in rooms when I am not there, calling me to give me that support,” Boyd said.
The lietenant governor again listened to what their needs are as the business pressed forward. Again, encouraging expansion and growth when they are ready, and with the support of the WBDC, and other women.
“Women have been my biggest supporter, always,” Boyd said.
