CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Lehigh Valley LaunchBox (LVLB) continues its educational event series focusing on the unique challenges and victories of female entrepreneurs who impact the Lehigh Valley and beyond, with a program called “Groundbreaking Women Breaking Ground” on Wednesday, March 4. The speakers will share how the construction industry has influenced their entrepreneurial pursuits and business careers.

A donation will be requested at the door. The event is open to students and the public on a limited first-come, first-served basis. Networking and the program will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Penn State Lehigh Valley campus. Light fare is provided.

The March 4 event features the following speakers:

Speaker: Wendy Body
Body received her bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University and her master of science in finance from Penn State University. She was the first woman project manager at Alvin H. Butz Inc., and is starting her 35th year as a senior project manager.

Speaker: Samantha Ciotti Falcone
Falcone, AIA, LEED AP, has been practicing architecture for more than 20 years and is the owner of SCF Architecture, LLC, in Center Valley. Her work includes commercial and residential architecture.

Speaker: Karen Cooney Duerholz
Duerholz is the vice president of business development at Boyle Construction. She leads the company’s business development and marketing initiatives. She has a bachelor of science in geography (planning option) from Penn State.

To register, visit the LaunchBox Ladies registration website. For more information on LaunchBox Ladies, email LVLaunchBox@psu.edu or call 610-285-5208.

Lehigh Valley LaunchBox is an early-stage business accelerator program for entrepreneurs. As a signature program of Invent Penn State, LVLB partners with a network of community and university partners to offer continuing support to small business owners and guides them through every step of their startup journey.

Information regarding the Invent Penn State initiative is available online.