Business
A new $2,500 grant is available to help a small business person on the Island improve or begin a new business.
The grant is offered by the Martha’s Vineyard Women’s Network as a way to give back to the community. Applying is easy; just explain your project in a short form available online at mvwomensnetwork.org. The network hopes to make it an annual grant with increasing funds.
Bonnie Marcus, cofounder and former president of the Martha’s Vineyard Women’s Network, currently serving on the board of Women Empowered, will interview best-selling nonfiction writer Marci Shimoff on the Women Mean Business radio show this Tuesday, March 9 at 2 p.m. on the VoiceAmerica Business internet radio channel.
Each week, Women Mean Business Radio features thought leaders and subject matter experts to help and inspire women to reach their full potential in their personal and professional lives.
Company Moves to Island
Event Management International, an event marketing company, has recently relocated from Connecticut to the Vineyard.
The company, now located in Edgartown, was established in 1989 and specializes in the creation, marketing and management of special events, meetings, conferences, conventions, product promotions, hospitality, team building, fund-raising and incentive programs.
Islanders interested in more information about the company can e-mail [email protected] or call 203-846-3372.
Amid mixed reports about whether the recession is easing its grip on the nation, the Vineyard economy remains in decline and has yet to hit bottom, merchants, tradesmen and bankers said this week.
Unemployment on the Island is still high — especially among contractors — while many businesses ended the calendar year with sluggish sales and little hope for a better spring or summer. In Edgartown alone at least 10 retail stores have closed their doors for good this winter, and some observers put the number closer to 20.
Loans for Women
Vineyard women who need a loan up to $1,500 for their business or for professional development — courses, certificates or licensing — have a new opportunity in Women Empowered’s pilot microloan program.
There’s an old legend about the Vineyard that women who come here grow strong. They may have been strong to begin with, but even so, they grow stronger. A corporate executive might find herself scratching around for new ways to survive, so she adds growing artichokes, opening a candle shop, and writing grants for nonprofits to her resume.