Women Entrepreneurs Rock Celebrates 12 Years in New Jersey

Women Entrepreneurs Rock, an initiative of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) at Brookdale Community College, has celebrated its 12th annual event, bringing together women entrepreneurs, business leaders and community representatives to recognize innovation, leadership and business growth.

Held under the theme “Bold Moves: Changing the Game,” the celebration took place on October 19, 2026, at The Whitechapel Projects in Long Branch, New Jersey. The event focused on encouraging women to challenge traditional business practices, build meaningful connections and create new opportunities through entrepreneurship.

Dr. Jackeline Mejias-Fuertes, director of the NJSBDC at Brookdale, and founder of Women Entrepreneurs Rock, shared insights about the journey of the initiative which spans 12 years in which women entrepreneurs have been supported. She noted that being revolutionary means having the spirit to change one’s own situation. The venue of the initiative was The Whitechapel Projects, a business wholly owned by women run by Marilyn Schlossbach.

Key Highlights:

• Women Entrepreneurs Rock celebrates 12 years of empowering women business owners in New Jersey
• Gladys Vonglahn shares her journey of building a successful cleaning business
• Four women entrepreneurs discuss mentorship, business growth and financial independence

A wonderful highlight of the initiative was the keynote speech delivered by Gladys Vonglahn, founder of Gladys’ Cleaning Service LLC, who shared her story of starting her journey in the USA from the year 2001 when she arrived from Chile as a young mother until building her own cleaning company. Despite the financial obstacles and refusals, she continued pursuing her professional certificates, meeting new people, and looking for mentorship to grow her business.

Vonglahn was fortunate to get the chance to work at Newark Liberty International Airport where her task of cleaning a site has turned into work at 23 restaurants and stores. Today, her company works with corporate clients and provides services like cleaning of offices, construction sites and maintenance of buildings.

The event had a panel discussion that was led by Filmmaker Lisa Durden. The panel consisted of four female entrepreneurs who deliberated on their journeys and difficulties in setting up and running their businesses.

Among the business women on the panel were ; Maria Clemente Morresi of Reimagined Mind Counseling and Consultation, Vivian Pisano of The Secret Garden Salon and a photographer, Gladian Rivera of Obsidian Rising LLC and Tatiana Sunik of Hera Financial LLC. The panelists shared ideas about mental health services, creative entrepreneurship, business strategy, employment possibilities for women and financial independence.

The panelists emphasized the roles of mentorship and resilience in overcoming one’s trials and adapting to entrepreneurial circumstances. The celebration marked the influence of small businesses in New Jersey’s economy. As stated by the NJSBDC state director and CEO Kelly Brozyna, over 97% of businesses in the state are small businesses