Central Vermont Community Action Council (CVCAC) and the District Office of the US Small Business Administration are pleased to announce Laura Lind-Blum as the new Director of the Vermont Women’s Business Center (VWBC). Lind-Blum, known in the women’s business community as “the Idea Midwife,” brings many years of experience helping women entrepreneurs find innovative strategies for nurturing their businesses.
“We are delighted to welcome Laura to this leadership post in the women’s business community,” states Mary Niebling, director of Community Action’s Community Economic Development programs. “Her experience in helping business owners bring new ideas to life will help bring the work of the Vermont Women’s Business Center to a new level.”
In addition to having operated her own coaching business, Lind-Blum has served as a management and leadership trainer for Vermont businesses, has been an instructor for Vermont educational institutions and programs, and has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to women in business as an active member and former board member of WBON, the Women Business Owners Network. She lives in Waterbury Center.
Since opening in 2002 under Community Action’s sponsorship, the SBA-supported statewide Vermont Women’s Business Center has assisted with the creation of 253 new jobs, helped launch 98 new businesses, and since 2005, has helped women business owners access more than $3.6 million in financing for their businesses. Each year, the Center assists more than 1,500 Vermonters with one-to-one business counseling, inquiries, referrals, lending library resources, and group trainings.
The Vermont Women’s Business Center operates statewide through the five Community Action Agencies. The Center’s home office is located at 327 US Route 302 in Berlin. Interested parties can contact the Vermont Women’s Business Center at 802.479-9813 or toll-free at 877.524-1998 for referral to local services.
