There are more than 150 women business owners who belong to the Rockland Women”™s Business Network; but it”™s not a “girls”™ club.” In fact, its new president, attorney Dara Onofrio hopes men will be open to receiving some mentoring from the opposite sex.
Onofrio, an intellectual property attorney, will lead the organization for the next four years and is already planning to bring something new to the table ”“ men who are not intimidated by being mentored by female business leaders.
“Typically, I”™m not a joiner, but there was something about the commitment the  organization had to helping women achieve goals that kept me attending meetings. These are not just women business owners, these are a group of business leaders, very focused on what they are doing.”
Now, she hopes to bring the mentoring the group offers to each other to those outside the group”™s membership, where both women and men can take advantage of the skills and knowledge its members share with each other.
In addition to intellectual property law, Onofrio”™s practice is also focused on patents, copyrights and trademarks, an area that is  growing as pharmaceutical and tech companies increase their presence in the Hudson Valley.
Onofrio wasn”™t always a Rockland resident; in fact, her business  roots were firmly planted in the Woolworth building ”“ next-door neighbor to the World Trade Center. “I was late for work on September 11; when I got to the ferry, they were not taking anyone over. We stood there watching it unfold in front of us and it was all I saw from my apartment window every day.”
It took her weeks to get back into her office in the “red zone,” where she and her secretary grabbed their computers and files and took office space uptown. Living in New Jersey across from the site no longer appealed to Onofrio, who soon discovered she could enjoy being on the water in  Rockland County.
After commuting to her Manhattan office for five years, she moved her business to Piermont as well.
When she discovered the women”™s business network, she found a niche where she could network with other women who were serious about business.
“It is not just a ”˜gab fest”™ around the table. These are women seriously committed to making their businesses the best they can be. We help each other in any way we can. Now I”™d like to see our members bring those skills to those outside our membership.”
The recession has found many unemployed professionals in need of mentoring and with the state cutting back on services, the mentoring Onofrio proposes to be a broader part of the organization”™s agenda comes at an opportune time.
The organization celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009. Monthly luncheons at the Comfort Inn in Nanuet, along with mixers and an annual scholarship dinner are just part of what the organization is all about, she said. “We can always call on each other for advice and our members are there for each other. That”™s what drew me to it and that”™s what I hope to impart to others as its new president.”
With the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks just around the corner, Onofrio said it was a life-changing event for her and for those who lived through it and for the families who lost loved ones.
“It is something you never get over. I”™m one of those ”˜What if?”™ stories. What if I hadn”™t been ten minutes late that morning? And for people lost in the towers, what if they had not gone into work a little earlier to beat the 9 a.m. crush? I think I”™ll always be second-guessing why I was spared and others were not.”
Onofrio has become vigilant as a result of her experience. She has been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and keeps an eye on the shores of the Hudson ”“ when she is not sitting in her robes as the village of Piermont”™s justice. Now, she”™ll add presidency of the Rockland Business Women”™s Network to her list, one she is anticipating with excitement.
There”™s a touch of irony in Onofrio”™s vision of men becoming members of a women”™s organization or joining the mentoring groups she and the other members of the new board are planning.
“It goes to show you how much things have changed ”“ for the better.”
