HOORAY FOR THE WBDC

From left, WBDC Finance Director, Karen Ham; WBDC Program Manager, West Region, Erin Mercede; Moraima Gutierrez, Deputy Director, U.S. Small Business Administration – Connecticut District Office; WBDC COO, Brenda Thickett, WBDC Director of Marketing & Communications, JoAnn Gulbin; Client Services Manager, Megan Wormser; Program Manager – Central, Kenyétta Banks & Program Manager – East, Laura Blake

The Stamford office of the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) received the 2024 Women’s Business Center of the Year award for Connecticut from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). WBDC was officially honored at the Small Business Resource Expo and Award Ceremony in partnership with CBIA May 2 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
The award specifically recognizes WBDC’s Southwestern Business Center in Stamford. Since opening its doors in 1997, it has been offering training and counseling to women-owned small businesses and aspiring women entrepreneurs. In 2023, the Southwestern Business Center served more than 660 clients and supported clients in accessing nearly $1.3 million in capital.
“We are truly honored by this recognition from the Small Business Administration and are proud of the amazing work being done at our women’s business centers in Stamford and across the state to support and empower Connecticut’s women entrepreneurs,” said WBDC CEO Fran Pastore.
Accepting the award for WBDC, Program Manager Erin Mercede said, “With the powerhouse team at WBDC, led by our founder Fran Pastore, I am so proud that we create a safe space for women of all backgrounds to learn the skills to run profitable businesses, and more importantly, that we help build their confidence in entrepreneurship.”
In addition to its headquarters in Stamford, WBDC operates regional offices in New Haven, New London, and Waterbury. The Stamford, New Haven, and New London offices are each SBA Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), part of a national network of entrepreneurship centers throughout the country, which are designed to assist women in starting and growing small businesses. WBCs seek to “level the playing field” for women entrepreneurs who still face unique obstacles in the business world.
Other winners of Connecticut SBA awards include:

  • Small Business Person of the Year: Maria Miranda, Miranda Creative Inc.
  • Small Business Exporter of the Year: Anthony DeFeo, Xcalliber.
  • Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Tyson Francis Belanger, Shady Oaks Assisted Living LLC
  • Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year: Ting Luo, The Green Teahouse.
  • Manufacturer of the Year: Neviana Zhgaba and Ardian Llomi, Aquila’s Nest Vineyards.
  • Microenterprise Business of the Year: Chris DeMartine, Programmatic B2B LLC,
  • Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Scott Allen and Brigid Sullivan, Water-Flo Inc.
  • Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Eric Lopez, Arrowhead Leadership Consulting LLC.
  • Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: Dr. Dori Gatter, West Hartford Holistic Counseling.

The Women’s Business Development Council’s mission is to support economic prosperity for women and strengthen communities through entrepreneurial and financial education services that create and grow sustainable jobs and businesses across Connecticut. WBDC educates, motivates and empowers women to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. Since 1997, WBDC has educated and trained more than 18,900 clients in all of Connecticut’s 169 towns — helping women to launch, sustain and scale over 14,170 businesses, create and maintain more than 31,400 jobs in Connecticut and access more than $57 million in capital.