by Paul Tennant, The Daily News (Newburyport)
Should you car break down somewhere in the Merrimack Valley, a strong-willed young woman may very well be at the wheel of the tow truck that comes to your rescue.
Roanny Colon, 33, started doing business a few weeks ago and has already started making her mark on the local scene.
A man at Walmart in Methuen was experiencing car trouble and noticed Colon’s 2006 International 4300 ramp truck in the parking lot. When he saw Colon seated in the cab, he exclaimed, “Oh my! It’s a girl!”
Colon recalled he was grateful, however, when she hooked up his car, loaded it onto her truck and towed the troubled vehicle out of the parking lot.
Colon, who does business as La Patrona – that’s Spanish for “the boss” – has 10 years of experience in the towing business.
She had a towing business in her native Puerto Rico, where she was also known as La Patrona, but Hurricane Maria put a rude end to it two years ago.
A wall collapsed on her tow truck and destroyed it. Colon, her three daughters and many other residents of Puerto Rico left the island and came to Lawrence and other cities on the mainland.
Colon had years of experience in her business, but she was in a new environment and needed help in making a new start. That’s where EforAll came into the picture.
The E in EforAll stands for entrepreneurship. EforAll helps people who have the vision to start their own companies but lack capital and the knowledge of the intricacies of establishing a business, such as setting up a payroll system and obtaining a tax identification number.
After her arrival in the Merrimack Valley, Colon was among 14 candidates selected for the 14-week Accelerator course, in which students learn “how to navigate the system,” according to Andres Silva, program manager for EparaTodoes in Lawrence and Lowell.
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