What Happened When 60 Women Gathered on Maryland’s Coast
At a Glance
- The Event: Coastal Women’s Business Summit
- The Setting: Ocean City, MD (Courtyard Marriott)
- The Mission: Strengthening business growth and year-round economic development for women-owned businesses.
- The Partners: Maryland’s Coast Economic Development + Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.
The Coastal Women’s Business Summit in Worcester County, MD brought together local entrepreneurs, community leaders, and economic development partners to support and grow women-owned businesses on Maryland’s Coast.
Some events you attend out of obligation. You show up, collect a name tag, sit through a few presentations, and leave the same way you arrived.
This wasn’t that.
On February 20th, 60 women gathered at the Courtyard Marriott in Ocean City, MD. What happened over those two hours was harder to describe than it was to feel.
A Women-Led Legacy in Ocean City, Maryland
Before talking about the room full of women on February 20th, it helps to understand the room they were standing in.
The Coastal Women’s Business Summit gathered at the Courtyard Marriott in Ocean City, MD, a property with deep ties to The Harrison Group, a third-generation, family-owned hospitality company rooted in town. Those roots trace back to Lois Harrison, who helped build and run Harrison Hall Hotel in the early 1950s and continued shaping the business after her husband’s passing.
That is not a footnote.
That is the foundation.
And she wasn’t alone.
In 1875, five male investors put Ocean City, MD on the map with the Atlantic Hotel. What followed was something different.
A group of female leaders known as the Petticoat Regime took over development in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By 1926, Ocean City had 32 hotels.
Thirty out of thirty-two were owned and managed by women.
They introduced new standards of hospitality, created spaces that welcomed overlooked communities, and helped define what the destination would become.
That legacy still shows up today, with women leading businesses across Worcester County’s tourism, wellness, and service industries.
That history was already in the room on February 20th.
It was a business event that felt more like a turning point.
What Is the Coastal Women’s Business Summit?
The Coastal Women’s Business Summit was created to give women in business on the Eastern Shore something simple, but often missing. A room of their own.
Michele Burke, Business Development and Retention Specialist with Worcester County’s Office of Tourism and Economic Development, had long envisioned a space where women could share not only their successes, but also the harder parts of building something.
The setbacks. The pivots. The moments that test whether you keep going.
That vision became reality through funding from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s Women’s Fund.
The result was an event that felt different from traditional networking. There were no rehearsed pitches or surface-level conversations. Just honest dialogue, shared experience, and a willingness to be real.
Women Entrepreneurs Driving Worcester County’s Economy
Women-owned businesses are a growing force in Worcester County’s economy.
From tourism and hospitality to health and wellness, real estate, and emerging industries, women are helping shape the region’s year-round economic growth. Events like this play a critical role in supporting that momentum by creating opportunities for connection, visibility, and shared learning.
On Maryland’s Coast, business is built on relationships. And relationships are built through spaces like this.
Four Women. Four Stories Worth Hearing at the Women’s Business Summit.
Moderator Nora Campbell opened the room and created space for the panelists to speak honestly about their experiences. What followed was less a panel discussion and more a conversation that kept getting more real.
Alexis Mumford of Edward Jones spoke about navigating a predominantly male-driven industry and how being a woman ultimately became a differentiator. Instead of seeing it as a barrier, she leaned into it. Used it to build trust. Used it to stand out in a saturated field.
Jen Labesky, Keller Williams agent and founder of GritChicks®, brought a message that blended business with something more personal. She talked about how tools like AI are changing the way we work, giving us back time and creating room to be more efficient. Then she challenged the room to think about what we actually do with that time.
As women, it is easy to fill every open space with something else. Another task. Another responsibility. Another way to prove our value.
Her message was simple. It landed hard.
What if we didn’t?
What if we let that space exist without rushing to fill it? To breathe. To reset. To remember that our worth is not tied to constant output.
Lyndsey Odachowski of Positive Energy spoke from the perspective of someone who grew up in Ocean City and chose to build something here. Entering the medical cannabis space early required research, resilience, and a commitment to educating others at a time when the industry was still widely misunderstood.
She also shared something more personal. From the beginning, there were people who expected her to fail. Some said it outright.
She built the business anyway.
Through persistence and a willingness to keep showing up, she not only grew Positive Energy but helped shape the industry locally. During COVID, she advocated for legislation that allowed drive-through dispensary pickup at a time when it wasn’t permitted. That shift helped keep businesses open when it mattered most.
Then there was Tonya Agostino.
Founder of Unstoppable Joy Co. and a triple-negative breast cancer survivor, Tonya shared a story that went far beyond business. Her diagnosis came without warning. No history. No signs.
Just three words.
You have cancer.
What followed was a decision about how she would move forward. She could have retreated. Most people would have.
She built something instead.
Unstoppable Joy became a way to walk alongside others navigating similar journeys, grounded in the belief that no one should face that experience alone. That healing looks different for everyone. That western medicine and personal faith and community are not competing forces. They can all live in the same story.
Tonya’s story shifted the room in a way that’s hard to put into words.
There was not a dry eye in it.
It Didn’t End With the Panel
After the panel, the microphone opened.
Attendees shared their own experiences. The challenges. The turning points. The things that rarely get said in professional settings.
The event closed with vision boards, conversation, and connection. Less like a formal program and more like the beginning of something.
For those who stayed, the following morning offered a quieter continuation, a reset after everything shared, with a yoga and sound bowl session hosted by April Eichelberger of Shore Yoga.
Why This Matters for Economic Development in Worcester County
The Coastal Women’s Business Summit did not happen by accident.
It reflects a growing recognition that women business owners in Worcester County need more than traditional networking. They need infrastructure. Support systems. Visibility. Access to resources.
Worcester County’s economy is evolving. The off-season is no longer what it once was. Businesses are operating year-round, and more women are leading that growth.
The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s Women’s Fund awarded $65,000 to local nonprofits to create programming that empowers women across the region. That investment showed up in a tangible way at this event.
This is how economic development works at a local level.
Not just through policy or funding, but through people, connection, and opportunity.
Supporting Women in Business on Maryland’s Coast
The Coastal Women’s Business Summit was not a one-time event. It was a starting point. If you missed it, the photos say more than this post can. See the full gallery.
The women who spoke are still building. The attendees are still showing up. The conversations are still happening.
And Worcester County continues to create space for that growth.
If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or community partner looking to connect, collaborate, or grow on Maryland’s Coast, this is the kind of work happening here.
To stay informed on future Coastal Women’s Business Summit events and resources for women-owned businesses, contact Michele Burke, Business Development and Retention Specialist with Worcester County’s Office of Tourism and Economic Development.
The Coastal Women’s Business Summit was made possible through a grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s Women’s Fund, in partnership with Maryland’s Coast Economic Development Department.
