‘Speak up, Speak Freely’ and ‘Forge Ahead’

For women-business owners, it’s all about “forging ahead, getting the next thing done, and looking to the future!”

By Lisa Goulian Twiste, Contributing Writer On Sep 8, 2020

New Jersey’s women business owners – who number near 300,000, or about a third of all the state’s entrepreneurs – have a tradition of banding together to help each other succeed in executive positions and/or start their own companies. 

Many of them have been turning to organizations like the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) for support, growth, education and networking opportunities, especially now during hardships being faced in this COVID-19 pandemic. 

Case in point is NJBIA’s 6th annual Women Business Leaders Forum (a four-day virtual event from September 8-11). The forum is the largest professional women’s conference in the state, bringing together female entrepreneurs and executives to form an agenda to increase gender diversity in corporate leadership, and get inspired and empowered to build successful businesses. Keynote speakers, breakout sessions, on-demand video recordings, and more are all scheduled. Visit NJBIA.org for more information. 

In the following section, three women business owners, who are also NJBIA members, discuss their career trajectories and how they are helping women of diverse races and ethnicities succeed in their respective fields. 

Chaya Pamula & PamTen 

When Chaya Pamula started working at Voltas Ltd. in her native India in the early 1990s, she was the only woman among 5,000 employees. She went on to become a training and consulting manager at HCL-Hewlett Packard before moving to the US in 1997. Here, she became a software engineer, program manager, and then an associate director at Bristol Myers Squibb before co-founding PamTen, a technology services company specializing in IT strategy, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and social impact solutions, in 2011. 

“There has been some improvement since I was a young woman working in the technology field,” says Pamula, who is also the founder and director of SOFKIN (Support Organization For Kids In Need), a non-profit organization that helps underprivileged children in India. “Still, if there’s a job opportunity in technology, finance, aerospace and other fields, you don’t see many women apply because they’re ​neither confident about themselves nor being encouraged to consider these fields. Women have to make their voices heard and ​stop self-doubting,” she says. 

Pamula, whose company now employs more than 200 people across five offices, has worked consistently over the years to empower women in the workplace, whether it be mentoring through Wings for Growth and Rutgers University, founding the Global Women’s League, or sitting on the boards of GERI (Gender Equity and Reconciliation International), and the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber Technology Committee. 

In 2018, Pamula co-founded SheTek, whose mission is to help increase the percentage of women represented in the technology industry by ​creating a strong community platform to encourage collaboration and mentoring, while also offering free training programs and other resources. She says the work of SheTek has become particularly important during the pandemic, with job losses leading many women to upgrade their skills and explore new industries. 

“Information technology is probably the most women-friendly job industry, where most positions can be operated remotely, and it is already evident during this time of COVID-19. This is what I’m trying to bring to light,” Pamula says. “We want women to speak up and speak freely, and I’m encouraging my own company to hire more women of all ethnicities to be as diverse as possible. Empowering women and children – our company’s mission and everything I do revolves around that purpose.” 

Ann Thornton & 
MSI Plumbing & Remodeling 

Arkansas native Anne Thornton was teaching at a vocational school in North Little Rock when she decided to move to New York to take a job at New York Telephone. “It was 1984, and I was of a generation when women became either a teacher, secretary or nurse, but I wanted to get into business,” she says. 

In 1986, Thornton moved to New Jersey and started MSI Plumbing and Remodeling to complement husband Les Giese’s condo management company. Thirty-four years later, Lebanon-based MSI is a multi-million-dollar company, and Thornton is an award-winning contractor, published author, and prominent member of the Hunterdon County business community. 

“I’m a big believer in networking, and my advice to women in business has always been, find your tribe,” she says, remembering her own female mentor, former Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce president Janet Finley, who encouraged Thornton to get involved with the Chamber as a member and eventually, a leader. 

“All of those little committees I chaired eventually turned into much bigger leadership roles, including founding the Chamber’s Women’s Business Forum 24 years ago and serving on the Chamber Board and now the Chamber Foundation,” she says. 

In addition to her work with the Women’s Business Forum, which gives scholarships to attend an in-person networking conference each year, Thornton also teaches introductory construction skills to female soon-to-be ex-convicts at Hunterdon County Polytech in Flemington. “They go out and build a shed, complete with frame, roofing and electrical, making sure it’s OSHA certified,” she says. “I love doing it and I’m hoping to impart information and help these women to develop skills and the mindset needed when they get out of prison.” 

In addition, Thornton was invited to be in the Somerset Chapter of the Women Presidents’ Organization, which is comprised of women-owned businesses with revenues of at least $2 million, and includes manufacturers, lawyers, accountants and others. And 2019 saw the publications of “Anne Thornton’s Insider’s Guide to Home Improvement: Professional Tips to Maintain Your Home,” which teaches women how to take care of their properties. After 34 years of running a successful plumbing and remodeling business, she wants to help other women navigate this male-dominated profession. 

“I can remember when I was a younger business owner, I would be intimidated a lot. Not anymore,” she says. “It’s about forging ahead, getting the next thing done, looking to the future. I personally feel so much stronger, and my goal is to pass that along to 20-something women and make sure they have the tools they need to succeed.” 

Theresa Semple & Semple Solutions 

Long before she launched her own Sayreville-based insurance firm in 2013, Theresa Semple worked for an office cleaning company – an experience she says taught her not to be afraid of challenges. 

“I always said, if I can put my hand in a warehouse toilet, I can do anything,” she says. “The biggest thing is, you have to believe in yourself and take a gamble. I have two daughters, and I tell them the same thing.” 

That attitude helped Semple break into the insurance field in the 1980s, when men dominated senior management and women were often in supporting roles. She started as a customer service associate with Oxford Health Plans in 1995, and after nearly 20 years in the industry, launched Semple Solutions, which specializes in helping groups attain employee benefits, emergency preparedness plans, medical coverage, dental insurance, vision coverage, short- and long-term disability insurance and group benefits. 

Semple is big on partnerships, and has made her own strategic alliances with payroll companies, human resources specialists and employment attorneys – some women, some not. “I’ve always been aggressive and fair, and I’ve never had an issue with being a female in the business world,” she says. “Yet there’s always work to be done in this area, and I’ve been fortunate enough – because of studying, reading, taking classes – to be a good resource.” 

Semple’s commitment to helping others reaches into the community and includes: starting Families Helping Families in Sayreville; serving as chairperson for Sayreville Day for five years; volunteering for Habitat for Humanity; working with charities aimed at finding a cure for pancreatic cancer and breast cancer; and being an avid supporter of the NJ Sharing Network. In addition, she is a member of the NJ Monmouth Ocean Association of Health Underwriters; National Association of Health Underwriters; Corporate Resource Alliance; Affinity Focus Group; and NJBIA. 

Semple’s best advice to young women in the business world is to network and attend roundtable events where they can bounce ideas off others. She points out there are many women-owned insurance brokerage firms, but also notes the growth of women coming into the field in sales, IT and other related positions. 

“They are making such a positive impact within the industry itself that we as women have become a vital entity of sustainability to the world of insurance,” she adds. “The biggest thing for women is, know your industry, strategically partner with people, believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid to take a gamble.”

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