January 2002

A Salute to Women in Business

In Cortland County, like elsewhere, women are becoming part of the mainstay of the nonprofit sector, education government, and increasingly business and industry. While the percentage of working men has declined from 86% to 75% in the last forty years, the percentage of women has increased from 32% to 60%. Not only are women equalizing the workforce, but their return to the workplace is accelerating. More than 65 million of the 133 million Americans in the workforce are women, double the 31 million who were either working or looking for a job in 1970 when many were first entering the laborforce. By 1997, the women's jobless rate was lower than the national unemployment rate, and women may soon account for the majority of the workforce.

Women are especially prevalent in small businesses. The Fortune 500 now account for less than 10% of the US economy and approximately 90% of New York workers draw paychecks from firms with fewer than 1,000 employees. From 1987 to 1997, the number of businesses opened by women nationally surged 78 percent, from less than 2 million to more than 8 million.

Where women in business can find help regionally:

• Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3)
• SUNY Cortland
• Small Business Development Center, Binghamton University
• Empire State Development Regional Office, Syracuse
• SBA, Syracuse District Office
• NYS DOL, Cortland County Office
• OCM BOCES, Cortland campuses
• Cortland County Government
• Cortland County BDC/IDA
• Cortland County Chamber of Commerce
• Nonprofits such as the United Way and YWCA
• Cortland Area Child Care Council

New York State's Division of Minority and Women's Business Development provides services such as entrepreneurial assistance, access to capital, women-owned business certification, and transportation capital assistance. For more information, contact:

Empire State Development Division
of Minority and Women Business Development
<http://www.empirestate.ny.us/business_minority.html>
(518) 292-5250

Resources are also available on line:

National Association of Women Business Owners: <http://www.nawbo.org>
National Foundation for Women Business Owners: <http://www.nfwbo.org>
Women Business Contracting: <http://www.womenbiz.gov>
Women's Business Center: <http://www.onlinewbc.gov>
Women's Entrepreneurial Development Center: <http://www.wedc.org>

Did You Know...

In Cortland County, some women-owned businesses include:

• Advanced Awards/Graphics
• Barringer and Associates
• Bev's Fashions
• The Carpet Loft
• Cortland Hardware
• Cortland Picture Frame
• Countree, Inc.
• Cracker Barrel Antiques
• DataWorx Consulting
• Diva's of New York
• FARME Institute
• GeoLogic NY
• Gonda Real Estate
• Good Things
• Gretchen Abbott Designs
• Gunzenhauser Real Estate
• Invigorations
• Lido Restaurant
• Montage Designs
• Olde Homer House
• Organic Solutions
• Passions
• Simply Samples Clothing
• Stone Travel
• Tallmadge Tire Service of Cortland
• Tisket A Tasket
• WebClothes.com