When Linda Zangrilli joined SCORE Bucks County she was in the minority among the chapter’s mostly male certified mentors. Fast forward nearly four years and the trailblazing Zangrilli is the first woman ever to serve as chair of the Bucks County Chapter.
“What I discovered as I got more involved at the district level, was that there were many impressive professional women committed to the SCORE mission,” Zangrilli, of Northampton Township, said. “I was inspired by their leadership and decided to help my chapter become more diverse and inclusive.”
Zangrilli replaces David Boster, who had served as the chapter’s chairman for the last two years. Recognizing the importance of a woman’s perspective for the growing number of female entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses in Bucks County, Zangrilli is encouraging more women to join her in providing local small business mentoring as a branch of the national nonprofit organization.
“I recently convinced a colleague of mine to come onboard. She was hesitant at first but is now fully committed to the SCORE mission of helping to foster small business. I need more people like her, experienced business professionals who are free enough to commit their time and believe in what we do,” Zangrilli said. “Most importantly, I hope to create an environment that promotes member
engagement. We need all members, whether male or female, to participate fully in the chapter. And I’ve got to find the magic to make that happen.”
If there’s magic to be had, Zangrilli is the woman to find it. Soon after joining SCORE, she served the chapter’s executive committee as the recording secretary. When the chapter launched its annual signature Women Building Businesses workshop and networking session in 2016, Zangrilli, along with a handful of SCORE mentors, led the charge to organize the event, line up speakers, breakout sessions and myriad relevant topics for women. Held each year in June, the 2020 event was cancelled because of COVID-19 concerns. SCORE switched the format of its in-person educational workshops to webinars in response to the pandemic. Zangrilli said she hopes to relaunch the women’s event in April 2021. Among her other goals, Zangrilli wants to collaborate with other SCORE chapters to discover best practices for chapter operation. In addition, Zangrilli hopes to maintain – and improve upon – the chapter’s positive momentum. The Bucks chapter was recently awarded Platinum Level Status, the highest recognition possible for any local chapter. The primary measure in qualifying for platinum status is customer satisfaction as shown by positive client feedback, volunteer satisfaction, as well as the number of client services provided to the community.
Customer service has been a core pillar for Zangrilli throughout her professional life. For more than 25 years she worked in operations management, customer service and management. She spent most of her career running both large and small call centers that handled customer service and sales support for many different business segments. After retiring in May 2016 from Schiller Grounds Care Inc., Zangrilli sought an impactful use of her free time.
“I’m used to going 100 miles per hour,” she said. “I couldn’t just stop.” Her online research led her to SCORE. Even though Zangrilli never owned a business, she discovered that she had a knack for mentoring. Business skills, whether learned through owning your own business or through working in corporate life, translate the same.
“I tend to keep my clients for a long time. Several of my clients have been with me since I started to mentor,” she said. “SCORE mentoring does not have an expiration date. If you need us, we’ll keep mentoring you.”
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 8.5 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. With 50 members across the county, SCORE Bucks County provides over 1,500 free mentoring services annually to local small business owners through one-on-one counseling and small business seminars. To stay up to date on news and happenings, join SCORE Bucks County’s email list.
Text SCOREBUCKS to 22828.
Recent Comments