The Urban League of Rochester is opening the ROC Women’s Business Center, the first of its kind in the greater Rochester community. The Urban League will celebrate with a grand opening and formal ribbon cutting ceremony at 12 noon on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at the Center, located at 130 Platt St.

Powered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the ROC Women’s Business Center (RWBC) joins a network of 140 women’s business centers across the country. The SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership has provided the Urban League with renewable annual funding of $150,000 to operate the Center.

“The opening of the ROC Women’s Business Center makes a clear statement, that women play a vital role in the growth, revitalization, and longevity of the business community in Rochester,” said Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, President and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester, “Through the generous support of the SBA and with the Urban League’s own knowledge of community needs, this Center will greatly expand the resources available to women entrepreneurs and business owners, from those who just have the seeds of an idea for a business, to those who have a large, established company and staff.”

The RWBC will provide a unique array of services specifically for women entrepreneurs, including one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring on numerous business development topics, including business startup, financial management, marketing, and procurement.

“The Small Business Administration is keenly aware of the economic challenges that the Greater Rochester area has historically faced. Our services to assist women entrepreneurs in this region through the establishment of a new WBC is vital and much needed,” said Natalie Madeira Cofield, Assistant Administrator of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the SBA, “We look forward to working with the Urban of League of Rochester and to doing our part to help women-owned small businesses in the region grow, survive and thrive.”

Khara Grant has been selected as the Director of the RWBC. Grant is the President of KAMG Consulting, LLC, and has over 15 years of experience in business development, sales and marketing, and project management. A Rochester native, she was most recently an enterprise program manager with Cisco in Atlanta, GA.

The ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday is open to the general public. In attendance at the grand opening will be an array of elected officials from the federal, state, and municipal level, as well as business leaders from the Rochester community.

Street parking is available on the corner of Platt St. and Mill St. Due to COVID safety restrictions, attendees must be masked for the duration of the event, and the Urban League asks that attendees maintain social distance and refrain from shaking hands.

Questions about the ROC Women’s Business Center may be directed to kgrant@ulr.org.

Media inquiries may be directed to wrivera@ulr.org.

About the Office of Women’s Business Ownership

Since it was established in response to an Executive Order in 1979, the Office of Women’s Business Ownership’s (OWBO) mission is to empower women entrepreneurs through advocacy, outreach, education, and support. To learn more about SBA’s programs and services for women entrepreneurs, visit  www.sba.gov/women.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.­