The Leadership Institute and Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest have announced the 2023 Women on the Rise honorees.
The annual Women on the Rise list includes leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs who are making an impact across northwest Indiana. These are the women shaping business, guiding communities and encouraging economic growth in our region’s communities. They achieved success in 2022 and are bringing that dynamic momentum with them into the new year.
Of the names honored, two are from the local area. Irelynd Fornelli and Mary Perren.
Irelynd is the owner of Irelynd Alexis Boutique in her hometown of Knox. It has been a dream of Irelynd’s to open her own boutique since she was 15. In 2022, she expanded her online business, grew into a brick and mortar location and won the Starke County Economic Development Foundation’s Starke Tank pitch competition. She is excited to graduate college this May and looks forward to gaining new customers and growing her store’s inventory.
Mary Perren is Executive Assistant for the Starke County Economic Development Foundation (SCEDF). She was named the 2022 Up & Coming woman of the year in economic development by the Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association. She also expanded SCEDF’s Starke Tank, a countywide small business pitch competition, that featured 10 finalists and raised $18,000 in prize money.
In 2023, Mary is excited about the momentum behind a hotel development in Starke County and sparking additional business development due to a local housing boom.
The 2023 Women on the Rise Reception will be held Tuesday, March 7 at 4 p.m. CT at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Indiana. Tickets for the event are available here.
