SBA opens new Women’s Business Center in Mayagüez,
SBA District Director Yvette T. Collazo
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands district office announced Wednesday the opening of a new Women’s Business Center in Puerto Rico. The new center, hosted by the Sila M. Calderón Foundation, will be located in Mayagüez.
“The SBA’s Women’s Business Center Program is a dedicated resource partner, and one of the most valuable forms of assistance available to women entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico that helps drive economic growth on the island,” said SBA District Director Yvette T. Collazo. “The funding of this new center expands our role in helping women, who are essential job creators in our community.”
SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership will award a grant of up to $150,000 for the Sila M. Calderón Foundation’s Women’s Business Center. The center will be required to match federal grant funds with private contributions, the federal agency said.
The SBA Women’s Business Centers represent a national network of more than 100 educational and training centers designed to assist women in starting and growing small businesses.
The centers offer one-on-one counseling, networking events, training workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on various entrepreneurship topics, including business startup, financial management, marketing and procurement.
“We’re very grateful and excited for the opportunity to be part of SBA’s Women’s Business Center family,” said Sara E. Tolosa, programs and services director of the Sila M. Calderón Foundation.
“The Sila M. Calderón Foundation’s Women’s Business Center will allow us to provide training, counseling and technical assistance to women in Puerto Rico’s western region for the development and strengthening of their entrepreneurial initiatives. Through self-management and empowerment, participants will be able to turn their skills and abilities into self-sustainable businesses and generate income, while contributing to the economic development of their communities and of our island,” she said.
The Sila M. Calderón Foundation’s Women’s Business Center will be overseen by the SBA’s Puerto Rico and USVI district office.
