THUNDER BAY — A few decades ago, women in business leadership positions were a rarity.
Today it’s much more commonplace to have a woman at the helm, but there are still plenty of obstacles in the way of their success.
Romy Marlo Ellis says she wants to help change that in Thunder Bay, this year launching Women & Co., a series of networking events, which kicked off on Tuesday with a sold-out panel session at Goods & Co. and continued Wednesday with speaker Erin Sisko.
Ellis, who founded The Uncommon Woman, said the idea was to create empowering events for women across the city and in the region.
“The goal is that we provide opportunities for women to come together to talk about business, to talk about what it means to be a woman in business, to talk about what it means to be women, and really to just connect, collaborate, have deep conversations and create a community and a hub within the city of Thunder Bay and the region for women who want to come together, women who crave connections, especially after COVID,” said Ellis, who founded Women & Co. with Goods & Co founder Maelyn Hurley.
It's something that’s been missing in the Thunder Bay business community.
Women really thrive in connection, Ellis said.
“It’s something we’ve been doing since the beginning of time. Women sit in circles. We have conversation and we share. Through COVID, in particular, so many women struggled with their mental health,” Ellis said.
“The number of women who suffered from depression and suicide ideations and feelings of isolation were astronomical during COVID. So we just could not wait to get together and have that connection together. Now that we’re through the (COVID) firewall, we see the value of what we were missing in our lives.”
Sisko, who founded The Elleiance Network, said her goal is to try to help women achieve their business dreams, supporting entrepreneurs through access to the right people and the right resources to make the journey a little smoother.
“I’m here today to really celebrate women, to acknowledge, elevate and really to show gratitude and appreciation for the women who are working really hard towards building something that’s important to them,” Sisko said.
“I put out a post this morning, that for Elleiance, every day is International Women’s Day. But today I feel the energy of the women coming together. I feel the rise of women and their power, really stepping toward their dreams and making a move and lifting each other up and celebrating one another and inspiring one another. It just makes my heart so happy to see this collective rise of women in empowering and supporting one another.”
Wednesday’s event will conclude at Goods & Co. with a wine and cocktail mixer from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on upcoming events, visit the Uncommon Woman website or the Goods & Co. website and social media channels.
