October is National Women’s Small Business Month and the Burlington County Commissioners are highlighting businesses owned by women in Burlington County.
To help support these businesses, Burlington County created an online map with the location and contact information for dozens of women-owned businesses in the county.
“Burlington County is home to numerous strong, resilient and dedicated women business owners; their businesses not only provide jobs, goods and services our residents need and rely upon, but they are also essential to our local communities,” Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson said in a prepared statement. “October may be the month when we celebrate women businesses, but our board wants to encourage residents to support and patronize these enterprises all year long.”
The map is posted on the county website within the Burlington County Business Hub under the Burlington County Business tab. More than 40 businesses are already listed on the map and the commissioners are inviting additional women-owned businesses to contact their office to get listed.
Each business on the map is linked to their respective website and their address and contact information is also included for easy access.
In addition to the map, the commissioners continue to use social media to showcase and promote businesses owned by women throughout October, according to the statement.
Women-owned businesses that would like to be listed on the map and promoted on the County’s social media sites should email information to news@co.burlington.nj.us. Information requested includes the business name, address, phone number and a brief history or summary of its goods for sale and services. Website and social media links and photographs are also welcome.
The initiative follows similar promotions organized by the commissioners, including highlighting Black-owned businesses during August’s Black Business Month and Hispanic and Latino businesses during Hispanic Heritage Month.
The women-owned businesses map is the largest created by the county so far and features restaurants, studios, shops, publications, professional service firms and contractors, according to the statement.
The growing number of women-owned businesses in Burlington County also mirrors a national trend.
There are now about 13 million women-owned businesses in the United States, representing about 42% of all businesses, according to the American Express 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report.
The report stated women-owned businesses were responsible for employing more than 9.4 million workers and with generating over $1.9 trillion in revenue. It also found the number of women-owned businesses increased 21% over the past five years, which is more than double the rate for all businesses, according to the statement.
“We’ve come a long way from the days when women couldn’t own property or receive a loan without a male co-signer. Women are now becoming force in business and we’re thrilled to see increasing numbers of women-owned businesses form and grow,” Hopson said in the statement. “This is a fantastic trend, and our county remains committed to helping businesses succeed. When local businesses do well, all our residents benefit, so we’re going to continue to highlight them as much as possible.”
New Jersey Senator Troy Singleton and Assemblyman Herb Conaway and Carol Murphy applauded the county’s efforts to promote small businesses, especially woman and minority-owned enterprises, according to the statement.
“I am proud that Burlington County, which has women in key leadership roles throughout its government, is prioritizing, celebrating, and promoting women-owned businesses,” Singleton said in the statement. “Collectively, we must make it our mission to not only showcase these small businesses, but put policies in place that will allow them to succeed and opportunities that will enable them to grow.”
“Highlighting local businesses is just one way government is helping our economy and our communities recovery from the economic fallout the health crisis has caused,” Conaway said in the statement. “Initiatives like this one demonstrates how important it is for all levels of government to work together and how effective that can be.”
Murphy, who was recently awarded an Outstanding Women of Leadership Award by the County’s Women’s Advisory Council, praised the county for promoting women-owned businesses and women business leaders.
“It’s so important that we help our local businesses survive and thrive but to also encourage more women to step up to launch and operate their own businesses and companies,” Murphy said in the statement. “It’s gratifying to see Burlington County take this step to let residents know about women-owned businesses and to let those businesses know that their government representatives are there to support them.”
