The Pittsburgh Steelers and its WOMEN OF STEEL platform have collaborated with PNC Bank to launch a Small Business Spotlight program to recognize and support women-owned small businesses in the Pittsburgh area. The program, which launches Wednesday, Sept. 14, will offer four such small businesses with marketing support, as well as mentorship from Steelers and PNC Bank executives and PNC-Certified Women's Business Advocates.
"We are very excited to partner with PNC, through our Women of Steel platform, to identify some very deserving, local businesses," said Ryan Huzjak, Steelers Vice President Sales & Marketing. "We're hopeful that the Steelers marketing support combined with PNC's business expertise will give these emerging businesses the boost they need to grow and prosper here in Pittsburgh."
The Steelers and PNC Bank worked with local Chambers of Commerce, including the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western PA, Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Three Rivers Business Alliance, to select the following four small businesses to inaugurate the program: Open Space Counseling, Consulting, and Wellness, Self-Care Señorita, Advance Sourcing Concepts LLC., and Café Tu Y Yo.
"Women are a powerful force for economic growth, yet according to the World Economic Forum's 2020 Global Gender Gap Report, we know that there's an untenable financial gap between men and women," said Beth Marcello, director of PNC Women's Business Development. "That's why PNC created the Project 257SM: Accelerating Women's Financial Equality initiative and we're thrilled to team up with the Pittsburgh Steelers to help tackle the economic gender gap and support women-owned small businesses in our headquarters city."
In addition to offering the consultative resource of a PNC-Certified Women's Business Advocate, PNC is curating workshops for the participants on financial topics relevant to their business and industry. Each selected business will also benefit from approximately one month of flighted promotion through Steelers' marketing platforms.
