Uplifting Business

Since graduating from the WILMA Leadership Institute last December, Renee Clauson-Rivera has landed a role that combines her passion for inspiring people and collaborating with her community.

“I’ve always been drawn to spaces that uplift certain communities and create access,” says Clauson-Rivera.

This summer, she joined the Women’s Business Center of North Carolina (WBCNC), which is based out of Durham and headquartered downtown in the heart of what was once known as “Black Wall Street.”

WBCNC is part of a larger organization – the National Institute of Economic Development (The Institute) – which is the only of its kind nationally, focusing on economic growth through effective business diversity.

The organization already serves clients in more than thirty North Carolina counties, including Brunswick, Pender, and Onslow, and Clauson-Rivera is helping launch its presence in New Hanover County.

As the program director, she will provide one-on-one business counseling, assist and lead cohorts and educational programs, and create and build partnerships that will help female entrepreneurs start, grow, and sustain their businesses.

Clauson-Rivera has Wilmington roots. Previously, she was the program coordinator for cultural enrichment programming at the Upperman Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and she did nonprofit work in student support, equity initiatives, and cultural-based programming. She’s also pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at UNCW and plans to graduate in December.

“I’m a Wilmingtonian, I’ve been here the majority of my life, and my ancestry traces back hundreds of years, so that has given me a first-hand perspective to the growth and change of the area, as well as seeing how the small business entrepreneurial space has boomed,” Clauson-Rivera says. “That gives me a really unique lens when it comes to my current role as well, and being able to assist women in this area and give back to my community and that aspect.”

She attributes this new leadership role to her experience at the WILMA Leadership Institute. Working with a small group of women advisers from various sectors helped her work through professional problems and toward a goal, she says, adding that they led her to look outside of her comfort zone and seek new professional opportunities.

“My group of advisers really helped me think strategically and open doors that weren’t always open for me,” she says. “It’s just a great opportunity to be connected to successful women.”

While the WILMA Leadership Institute helps its graduates navigate issues often faced by women in leadership – such as negotiations, public speaking, and even cross-generational skills – WBCNC’s vision is much the same: helping and uplifting women by offering a variety of services and fundamental support. Its mission is to support women by helping them gain access to capital, build upon business skills, and develop long-term sustainability with their small business.  

“We’re not just helping them with their business planning or ideation, we’re helping them create opportunities that will last and grow,” Clauson-Rivera says.

Types of support include help with funding, lending, marketing, employment logistics, and one-on-one business counseling.

The WBCNC isn’t entirely new to Wilmington. Prior to COVID, it had a presence and a role within the Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week presented by the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.

“At the beginning of this year people were interested in bringing them back to Wilmington because entrepreneurial space in the city is growing tremendously and we have a lot of incubators in the area already doing the work, but we have a unique niche, and they saw a need to reestablish themselves here,” Clauson-Rivera says.

She emphasizes that the work WBCNC and the Institute do is not just important, but vital, because it provides essential access to knowledge, funding, and encouragement to women small business owners. She sees firsthand that, “a lot of women are building businesses and they’re very creative and they’re very resilient, but they don’t necessarily have the tools or know where to go next if they’re growing so we’re really here to be that bridge.”

“The work is personal to me,” she says, “because I feel like every professional experience I’ve had aligns with one of my passions because I’m doing it in the city I grew up in and I really want women and women of color and first generation entrepreneurs to succeed and not have to figure it out alone.”

To view more of photographer Aris Harding’s work, go to arisharding.com.

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