Experience

Prosperity Candle

• United States
• Retail
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-Founder

  • Sep 2008 - Present

  Prosperity Candle represents an innovative model for helping lift families out of poverty. We are two aligned organizations - a social enterprise and a nonprofit - that work together to solve a problem and deliver sustainable impact. We started with widows in Iraq, expanded to include women refugees recently resettled in the U.S., and have since launched a project in Haiti. We offer women the opportunity to escape poverty through entrepreneurship and living wage employment. We work with women in and from regions of conflict and natural disaster, and despite the difficult conditions, believe it is not enough to survive. We seek to help women and their families truly thrive. Entrepreneurship, scalable business opportunities, access to local and international markets, access to finance, and strong support systems are the key elements of our model. It is a market-driven solution born out of decades of combined business and poverty alleviation experience. Candles are at the heart of this model. Why? They are a global consumable good, materials can be sourced locally, and candle-making is an astoundingly scalable business that is ideal for places where war and nature have wreaked havoc. Each and every Prosperity Candle is a unique expression of the courage of women who have endured and are are determined to prevail and prosper. Show less



International Development

• Micro & Small Business Development Consultant

  • Dec 2001 - Oct 2010

  International economic development projects focused on small enterprises and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Inter-American Development Bank, German Development Bank, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and other agencies. Worked in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia and Caribbean on enterprise development projects: market assessment, value-chain analysis, project design and evaluation, and training workshops for micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs). Provided recommendations to donors, project implementors and business owners. Show less



Voyageur East Company, Inc.

• Co-Founder

  • Sep 1990 - Jan 2001

  Built, managed and sold a successful global import and trade consulting company that specializes in developing new resources in transition economies and advises major North American retailers seeking access to emerging markets. Business focuses on the design and production of consumer products with an emphasis on handcrafted ceramics and glass categories. Partners sold company in January 2001. Built, managed and sold a successful global import and trade consulting company that specializes in developing new resources in transition economies and advises major North American retailers seeking access to emerging markets. Business focuses on the design and production of consumer products with an emphasis on handcrafted ceramics and glass categories. Partners sold company in January 2001.