Philadelphia News

Maryland Receives D- Grade In New Expecting Better Mother’s Day Report

A new state-by-state analysis released for Mother’s Day shows how little the nation supports and protects working mothers and fathers when a new child arrives – and Maryland is nearly failing its new parents. The report, Expecting Better: A State-by-State Analysis of Laws That Help New Parents, is the most comprehensive analysis to date of state laws and regulations governing paid leave and workplace rights for new parents in the United States. Maryland earned a grade of “D-” for its policies. The analysis was conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families. The full report, which includes grades for all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on the enactment of select laws that expand upon federal leave and workplace protections, can be found here. “The birth of a child should be a joyous event for new mothers and fathers, not the cause of financial hardship or devastation,” said National Partnership President Debra L. Ness. “Sadly, as this report shows, tens of millions of working parents throughout the country have no access to paid leave when a child is born and few if any other workplace protections beyond the minimum standards set by federal law. At a time when the majority of women are both caregivers and breadwinners, America’s families expect and deserve much better.” Maryland’s grade of “D-” is striking considering that women make up 49 percent of the workforce in the state, and 76 percent of [...]

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Q&A 4Her – Andrea Eldridge

As CEO of Nerds On Call, entrepreneur and woman business owner Andrea Eldridge is involved in the ever-changing world of technology. Because of this, she’s had to learn to adapt her business model to accommodate. This has led to the expansion of her business that initially started as an onsite computer repair service to a company providing a full range of tech repairs with locations in California, Oregon and Washington. MyCity4Her.com caught up with Adrea and she told us what she underestimated about her industry, what she loves best about what she does and more. She also shares the best advice she’s ever received–and it involves monkeys. Intrigued? Read on for Andrea’s full Q&A 4Her interview. Did you ever imagine yourself achieving what you have? I never envisioned myself owning my own company, let alone being an entrepreneur in the technology sector. When I started my first company in 2002, my husband pointed out that when you work for yourself you have more control over your employment fate than you do working for a company–when someone else’s bad business decision can lead to your layoff. This lead to a fundamental shift in my thinking and allowed me to take the leap to starting out on my own. I’ve been lucky enough to partner with a great creative balance to my more structured way of thinking. As a team, he pushes me to try new directions while I figure out how to make it happen logistically. [...]

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Where’s Your Time Going?: Tips for Managing Interruptions in Your Work Day

By Leslie Shreve “Gotta minute?” How many times do you hear that during your day at work? It’s a common interruption from your staff, colleagues or leaders that causes you to break your focus, stop what you’re doing and give attention to the person standing in your doorway. If it’s not a person, then the interruption is from your office phone, cell phone or e-mail, which are all still demands on your time and attention and cause you to behave reactively instead of proactively. And reactivity can cause you to lose time and other equally important things, like losing track of tasks, deadlines and opportunities, especially if you’re not surrounded by systems you trust. It’s time to be more proactive about your time. It’s true… interruptions will never stop altogether and sometimes they can even be productive – holding a wealth of information (or entertainment) and chock full of great ideas and opportunities. However, timing is everything during your work day and while too much structure can put a damper on your day, structure is absolutely necessary for you to have freedom and a productive day so you can still take some interruptions without losing ground on your work day productivity. First, every professional needs to protect at least 20% of their day from interruptions - period. That means 80% of your day is “available” with your door open, if you have one. This also means you can answer the phone, cell phone or look [...]

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Texas Named Best State To Do Business By Chief Executive Magazine

Looking to start a new woman-owned business, open a new office to expand an existing business or thinking about doing some business traveling? Then you may want to pay close attention to this article. CEOs from around the country were polled for Chief Executive magazine’s annual “Best & Worst States Survey” and the lone star state of Texas came out on top as the best place to do business. Not surprising since the state managed to do so for seven years prior, making this the eighth consecutive year the state has held the title. Coming in at No. 2 is Florida. The state, which appeared at No. 3 on the list in 2011, rose one spot and knocked North Carolina to No. 3. Rounding out the top five are Tennessee and Indiana. On the lower end of the survey are the states voted the worst places to do business. Those states include Michigan at No. 46, Massachusetts at No. 47, Illinois at No. 48, New York at No. 49 and California closing out the survey at No. 50. Unfortunately, California has consistently ranked in the bottom. It appeared at No. 50 on last year’s list. “CEOs tell us that California seems to be doing everything possible to drive business from the state,” J.P. Donlon, Editor-in-Chief of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net said in a statement. “Texas, by contrast, has been welcoming companies and entrepreneurs, particularly in the high-tech arena.” “Local economic development corporations, as well as the state Texas Enterprise Fund, are [...]

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Jo Ellen Soesbee’s Reliable Repairs Inc. Named “2012 Small Business of the Year” By The BWCC

MyCity4Her subscriber “ToolBox TomGirl” Jo Ellen Soesbee‘s business, Reliable Repairs Inc., was awarded the 2012 Small Business of the Year award by the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber. The Pasadena, Maryland-based company received the honor at the BWCC ‘s Annual Business of the Year and President’s Awards held on April 26th. “I was flabbergasted when Chamber President and CEO Walt Townshend announced I had won the award,” Jo Ellen Soesbee said of receiving the award. “I am working hard to break down the barriers for women in the construction field and it is nice to know that I am being recognized for those efforts. The BWCC is a very supportive environment and I have made many important connections by being a member.” The award-winning Reliable Repairs provides the community with handywoman/handyman services and facility maintenance needs for business owners and retail shops. Clients include homeowners, business owners, retails and commercial store owners, facility maintenance corporations, as well as contractors in need of subcontractors for carpentry finish work. Services include all aspects of home/business repairs, including such things as drywall, flooring, fans, tiles, painting, etc. as well as full bath and kitchen remodeling. When Jo Ellen isn’t working on Reliable Repairs, she’s the “Tool Box TomGirl.” As the “Tool Box TomGirl,” Soesbee teaches women how to do small repairs on their own and talks about being a woman in business. For more information on Reliable Repairs Inc., visit their website, the Toolbox TomGirl Facebook page [...]

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MyCity4Her Founder & CCO Named a YWCA Distinguished Leader

Today our CCO & Founder Monyka Berrocosa is winning a prestigious YWCA Leader award for her efforts and contribution to the Greater Baltimore Community. The event will take place at the Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards and is the 9th Annual event honoring outstanding women in the region. “M” adds this award to the increasing list of accomplishments which count the United Way Shero Award (2007), The Red Cross Woman of Spirit (2007), The SmartCEO Brava (2008), The Red Cross Home Town Hero (2009), The NAWBO Woman of the Year (2010), The Top100MBE (2010) and the Greater Baltimore Committee Bridging the Gap (2011) among others. When asked about the recognition she candidly replied the following “Awards are great…but it’s more about what you do with the platform to help others lift and climb that really is the rewarding part. Getting this award from the YWCA is a tremendous honor – mostly because of the company I’m in if I look at my fellow recipients this year and years past. Its nice to know your efforts to help the community, be good at what you do are recognized and I am very grateful to the YWCA.” Leader Lunch is an exceptional opportunity to honor female leaders throughout the Baltimore Metro area for their outstanding work, leadership, service, and engagement in the community. Each year, honorees are nominated and hand-picked based on a series of stringent criteria including, but not limited to: professional accomplishments, commitment to the well-being [...]

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Towson Global Announces Business Competition Winners

After months of preparations, two teams emerged as the winners of the Second Annual Towson Global Business Plan Competition. The first place winner was ToolSpinner, a team of brothers who are Towson University alumnus and who created an online platform for tool rentals. Second place went to the Johns Hopkins Team Innovostics, a medical device company that specializes in detecting various causes of fevers in patients within minutes, using an extremely low cost method which is led by three young women whom we hope to feature in an interview in the near future. Towson Global has a number of women-owned businesses participating in its incubator – to learn more about Towson Global click here. Congratulations to both winning companies! The competition was held at Towson University’s West Village Commons where the five finalists made private presentations which included an intense questions and answer session by the panel of seven judges. After much discussion and deliberation the judges selected the two teams as the winners, with the other finalists not far behind. The first place prize package is valued at over $17,000 and includes a monetary prize of $4,000, a 90-day Resident membership to TowsonGlobal and executive coaching from CEOIQ. The second place winner also receives a prize package valued at $5,200 which includes a monetary prize of $1,000, 90-day Associate Membership to TowsonGlobal and one year membership to the online community and resources of CEO IQ. This year’s judges were from [...]

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Ladies America – Leading the Future Tomorrow in DC

Ladies America is pleased to announce the second annual “Women Leading the Future” day-long conference. The conference will be held on Saturday, May 5th, 2012 at the US Chamber of Commerce building from 9am-3pm. This conference brings some of the most powerful women in America together to discuss topics relevant to women today including critical leadership issues as we head into the future. Focusing on women making a difference in the world, discussions will deal with the positions women hold today and how they can become even stronger, more effective leaders. Speakers for “Women Leading the Future” include Kathleen Warner, COO, StartUp America Partnership, Denise Yunkun, Executive, FedEx, Alyse Nelson Bloom, Director, Vital Voices, Christine Warnke, DC Women’s Commission, Bonnie McDaniels, CEO, Metro Magazine, and NavroopMitter, CEO, Gryphn. The full schedule can be seen online here and below. Partners for this event include the US Chamber of Commerce, Center for Women in Business and ABC7/WJLA-TVwith support from the World Bank’s Gender and Development Group. What: Women Leading the Future Conference When: Saturday, May 5th, 2012, from 9am-3pm Where: US Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20062 How: Tickets can be bought here “We are truly witnessing a revolution of women in many areas, including entrepreneurship, innovation, and overall leadership. As many know, women hold 80% of the nation’s buying power across the country, but fewer are aware that women owned businesses have grown by [...]

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5 Health Apps Your Mom Won’t Mind Being Downloaded to Her “Contraption”

By: Joy Twesigye, MS, NP Women’s Health Editor If it takes a village to raise a child then it must take a universe to replace a mother. So let’s keep them around as long as possible! We know many women in business are working Mom’s and we’re committed to their health and wellness. This month we’re focusing on the tech tools that can help you stay healthier. While the rest of the family is eating mad amounts of Belgian waffles, sneak into her purse (like you used to do) and download these apps on her Android, iPhone/Pad*. One app was inspired by a mom! ZocDoc: I came across this app when working on a national project that focused on the reinvention of primary care. I am now one of their many very happy customers. ZocDoc is a free service that allows people to book Doctor appointments online. You can sort by location, type of provider and insurance plan. Once sorted, a list of providers and available appointment times appear on your screen as well as reviews from other ZocDoc users. You can then make an appointment by clicking on the open time slots. This is incredibly helpful when starting a new job or when an acute issue springs up and you don’t have a primary care provider (aka PCP). Available for both Android and iPhone. P.S. Get a PCP. If you don’t know your numbers, take this sheet with you [...]

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Q&A 4Her – Cynthia Good Founder of Little Pink Book

A new Department of Labor report says women make up almost 50% of the workforce today and they own 30% of the small businesses in the U.S. It goes without saying that women in business – is big business. MyCity4Her caught up with Little Pink Book Founder Cynthia Good who was one of the first to see the potential for growth in this trend of women executives, entrepreneurs and business owners. Cynthia had the following to share regarding her vision for success, the path she walked to get there and more, read on… 1. Did you ever imagine yourself achieving what you have? I didn’t imagine that I would own and operate my own company – and that I would have been able to do this successfully for several years now! When I was a girl I remember my dad handing me the “Life” section when I asked to see the newspaper. At that moment it became clear that he didn’t see me, or women in general, as having the chance, or the skill set to be a successful business owner or leader. He just didn’t many women in those roles in his life so I’m not sure he realized it was possible. Also, like so many women, I ran up against that ‘double glass ceiling.’ You know – the one in the business world (women still hold only about 17% of top jobs), and the one in our own [...]

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