Elizabeth Spinelli, executive director of the Hudson County Economic Development Corp., thought the phone call was a joke when someone called her from NJ Biz magazine to tell her she had been nominated as one of the state’s most influential women.
“I thought someone was goofing on me,” she said during a telephone interview last week. “I kept asking who it was.”
Her reaction apparently won the heart of NJ Biz staff while they finally convinced her that she had been nominated by one of the bankers with whom she has regular dealings.
In the December issue of NJ Biz, Spinelli was listed as among the state’s 25 most influential women out of 100 nominated. The selections were based on the key role each of the women played in the economic life of New Jersey.
Representatives from NJ Biz were careful to point out that these were not the only women who have made a difference throughout the state, and that the overall field provided a testament to the richness of the civic, executive, and entrepreneurial talents to be found here.
NJ Biz also noted that this shows “once again that any barriers to the advancement of women in the workplace are wholly artificial and ready to be kicked over.”
Spinelli said she was humbled by the fact that she was listed among some of the women who are on the list of 25. These include such people as Elizabeth Christopherson, the CEO and executive director of New Jersey Network; Karen Clark, CEO and president of Horizon NJ Health; and Ann Limberg, president of Bank America New Jersey.
“I’m deeply moved and honored,” Spinelli said.
While NJ Biz highlighted Spinelli’s role in cleaning up contaminated sites throughout Hudson County, Spinelli said she was most proud of the small business program that her office is running.
Under Spinelli’s direction, the EDC has disbursed $3.8 million in loans to small businesses – mostly to minority- or women-owned businesses.
“This means we have created more than 154 new jobs,” she said, “since we use HUD [Housing and Urban Development] money for the core of our loan program to provide low and moderate loans. People here depend on local dry cleaners or the deli on the corner for coffee. These small businesses are the backbone of the community.”
Spinelli, 56, came to the EDC after 27 years working at New Jersey Bell – which is now part of Verizon. During those years, she had opportunities to move out of Jersey City and Hudson County, but deliberately chose to remain here.
Born and raised in Jersey City, she said she liked the urban environment, and her efforts here are to improve the economic outlook for people moving here.
“I’m proud of the fact I’m from here, and I find joy in living in an urban environment,” she said.
She grew up in downtown Jersey City and attended St. Mary’s School, the daughter of Irish immigrants, who she said struggled to make a living here. Her father, a longshoreman working the local piers here, struggled when the jobs vanished, a lesson Spinelli said she never forgot.
“When I do job my well, people go to work,” she said. “I’m proud of that. I see it as God’s mission. So I do it with gusto.”
This memory of her family has allowed her to appreciate what more modern immigrants are going through when they arrive in Hudson County.
“I have a deep respect for the people coming here,” she said. “I realize that most of the people coming here are looking for a decent job. Hopefully, the loan program and everything I do will provide that.”