Stronger Together: Annual Women MEAN Business Event Celebrates Mentorship, Empowerment

By Lisa Ramirez

Leaders of local businesses and community organizations, advocates, educators and entrepreneurs came together June 1 in Orange County for the annual Women MEAN Business summit.

The day-long event, hosted by the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and held at the Barn at Villa Venezia, included panel presentations, break-out discussions, and a keynote address by Maureen Halahan, president and CEO of the Orange County Partnership, all designed to inspire, motivate and support the women who drive the local economy.

“In a world where women’s voices and achievements have often been overlooked or undervalued, our unity is a powerful force,” said Chamber President Heather Bell-Meyer. “Women should have each other’s backs, raise each other up, and genuinely empower each other.”

Mentorship, empowerment, authenticity and networking among women — “MEAN” — are the primary discussion points at the annual gathering.

Speaking to why an (almost) all-woman business summit was important even as women continue to make gains, Bell-Meyer said, “This strengthens our individual journeys and paves the way for our collective growth and progress. It’s through this we break down barriers, shatter stereotypes, and create a more inclusive and equitable society.”

In her keynote, Halahan, who has led The Partnership since 2002 and through two decades of steady and unprecedented economic growth, said the encouragement and support of women has been important throughout her career. Her long tenure at the Partnership gives her boasting rights as the longest serving economic development specialist in the Mid-Hudson and she is, said Bell-Meyer, “the queen of economic development.”

“I’ve had a fabulous journey because so many women before me worked so hard to pave those roads,” Halahan said in her key. “Grow in your position. It’s an opportunity to show that it can be done, it is being done