APC Scientific Consultants & Associates LLC
Betty Grullon
CEO
APC Scientific Consultants & Associates LLC is bringing experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense technology needs into workforce education. The New Jersey woman- and minority-owned business provides IT services, including software engineering and cybersecurity, while expanding training designed for schools, colleges, universities, government agencies and private-sector employers.
CEO Betty Grullon acquired APC in 2020. Drawing on more than 20 years in technology and government contracting, she has broadened the company’s focus to address how people prepare for careers and adapt to changing workplace demands. In 2026, Grullon was named New Jersey LATINA Style Entrepreneur of the Year.
APC’s expanding signature program portfolio includes AI LifeReadiness Academy, focused on AI foundations and responsible use, and CyberQuest Academy, which introduces 6–12 students to cybersecurity through interactive missions. The company is also developing programs that connect career preparation with leadership and employee well-being.
APC also offers customized workshops in English and Spanish, delivered virtually and in person. Topics include practical AI use, digital skills, cyber hygiene, communication, and workplace resilience, with content adapted to the needs of students, educators, and employees. Programs are tailored to each organization’s goals.
ATA CPA Group LLC
Grace Fan
Managing partner
ATA CPA Group LLC is a full-service certified public accounting and consulting firm dedicated to delivering top-tier financial, tax, and advisory solutions to individuals and businesses. Built on a foundation of unwavering ethical standards and technical excellence, ATA CPA Group serves as a trusted financial partner, helping clients navigate the complexities of today’s business landscape and maximize their growth potential.
As proud members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA), ATA CPA Group adheres to the highest quality control standards through participation in the AICPA Peer Review Program.
To bring enterprise-level insights and world-class resources to every engagement, ATA CPA Group is an Independent Member of the BDO Alliance USA and an active participant in the BDO Alliance Pan Asian Roundtable Group. This network enables the firm to combine personalized, local service with global perspectives and specialized technical expertise. ATA CPA Group offers customized strategies tailored to meet the unique goals of every client: Tax Planning & Compliance, Accounting & Advisory, Audit & Assurance, Business Consulting & Strategy.
Bayshore Recycling
Valerie Montecalvo
President
Established in 1995 by Valerie Montecalvo, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection-licensed facility has become a premier destination for the recycling of concrete, asphalt, brick, block, bulky waste, construction debris, non-hazardous petroleum contaminated soil and other diverse materials. Its facilities, also known as New Jersey’s eco-complex and energy campus, are located in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge Township. The site boasts Raritan River frontage via convenient access to road, barge and class-1 railroad.
Energy conservation and renewable energy are at the center of the company’s business plan. In 2008, the company installed a 679-kilowatt (9,365 panels) rooftop solar energy system that assisted in powering operations. In 2018, Bayshore added an additional 1,500 panel, 423-kilowatt rooftop solar energy system that was installed on its next largest building structure.
Bayshore, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise in both New York and New Jersey, is ISNetworld network certified toward connecting corporations with safe, reliable contractors/suppliers from capital-intensive industries. It also helps clients meet their sustainable building goals through materials recovery services that achieve valued LEED credits.
Bertone Piccini LLP
Grace Bertone
Founding partner
Bertone Piccini LLP is woman-owned boutique law firm located in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey providing sophisticated legal counsel to businesses, individuals and organizations across a range of practice areas.
The firm’s attorneys advise clients across various industries and practice areas from trust and estates to real estate combining practical guidance with a strategic understanding of each client’s goals.
With an emphasis on collaboration, responsiveness and personalized representation, Bertone Piccini works closely with clients to navigate complex legal and business matters. The firm brings together attorneys with diverse experience and perspectives while maintaining the accessibility and individualized attention of a boutique practice. It believes in working hard for the success of clients, and the firm, through encouraging an entrepreneurial approach to practice development and retaining exceptional professionals.
From day to day legal needs to complex transactions and disputes, the firm is committed to providing thoughtful, effective counsel tailored to each client and matter.
Brook37 The Atelier
Mou Dasgupta
Founder and CEO
Brook37 The Atelier is a WBENC-certified, women-led luxury tea brand challenging an industry long dominated by generational wealth, with women at every step, from the tea pluckers who harvest our leaves to our packers, operations, marketing and leadership team. Brook37 sources rare single-estate teas directly from the world’s finest gardens, including Darjeeling first flush and muscatel teas. And the Moonlight Stroll received four awards at 2024 and 2025 World Tea Championship Challenge, alongside signature blends like Bengal Chai and Brook37’s lavender-and-pineapple Phyllis Earl Grey, ceremonial Harmony Matcha, functional wellness blends and luxury gift collections featured in celebrity gift bags during Oscars and Emmys awards. Today, Brook37 is available at Bloomingdale’s, in 80 Costco warehouses, and in gourmet grocery chains.
Its mission also aims to elevate tea as the sober sibling of wine, so that rare single-estate teas earn the status of fine wine, while making tea’s functional benefits fun and accessible. Brook37 is building a brand that is environmentally and socially responsible from the ground up: in 2026 it recovered 10,441 pounds of plastic, the equivalent of 790,000 plastic bags, and will donate $25,000 in HomeFront NJ’s shelter program for pregnant women, Nepal disaster relief and Carbon180’s climate work.
Named to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 CO—100 list of America’s Top 100 Small Businesses, Brook37 is proof that a women-run tea brand can disrupt a centuries-old industry.
Busy Bees Learning Center
Takeerah Jones
Founder and CEO
The Busy Bees Learning Center LLC is owned and operated by entrepreneur Takeerah Jones, a Bloomfield resident and former preschool teacher.
Jones established Busy Bees Learning Center in 2016 as a sole proprietorship. Originally operating as a home daycare, the business adapted during thebCOVID-19 pandemic to permanently pivot into providing mobile STEM services. It currently provides these specialized educational curricula directly to schools, libraries and special needs programs throughout New Jersey.
cadootz!
Rachel Mansfield
Co-founder and co-CEO
After more than a decade building a trusted voice in the better-for-you food space, cookbook author, entrepreneur, and mom of three Rachel Mansfield, alongside her husband and co-founder Jordan Carpenter, launched cadootz!, an industry disrupting kids’ protein snack brand inspired by the daily challenge of finding snacks their own children loved that they as parents could feel good about serving. On a mission to take the stress and guilt out of snack time, the brand debuted in January 2026 with lunchbox-friendly cheese crackers in three flavors: Cheddar, Sea Salt and Ranch. Each 30-gram serving contains 5 grams of protein, is USDA organic, 100% gluten-free, kosher, seed oil-free; and free from gums, emulsifiers, artificial dyes and natural flavors. cadootz! is also the first cracker to be certified by the Clean Label Project. Today, cadootz! is available at cadootz.com, on Amazon, and in Target stores nationwide.
Carson’s Cookie Dough
Kelly Castro
President
Carson’s Cookie Dough is a WBENC-certified New Jersey bakery creating high-quality cookies and meaningful, real-world opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Through partnerships with schools and community organizations, participants gain hands-on workplace experience, build upon skills hard-won, and discover where their individual strengths can shine. Carson’s believes the potential is already there; we create the space for it to awaken.
And through it all, quality remains non-negotiable: an inclusive business should be known not only for the opportunities it creates, but for the exceptional products it produces.
Caryl Communications
Sandy Crisafulli
President
Caryl Communications helps tell stories, raise profiles and grow businesses. The public relations and marketing communications firm’s skilled strategy and execution, impeccable client focus and impressive results distinguish it as one of New Jersey’s top boutique agencies. The company is a proud member of PR Boutiques International, an exclusive global network.
Since 1984, the Caryl team has created and delivered PR programs with ROI in mind, with offerings across a full range of public relations, media relations, digital marketing support and crisis communication services. The company is deeply involved in the commercial/residential real estate and skilled nursing/healthcare industries, with a diversified client roster that also spans the retail, professional services and nonprofit sectors. For the Caryl team, a job well done hinges on the success of its clients, many of whom have been with the agency for decades. Testimonials cite professionalism, responsiveness, creativity and attentive service as central in these relationships.
As the evolution of technology and shifting media channels continue to transform businesses across industries, Caryl Communications is leveraging new tools and opportunities to uphold and enhance its service value. Its “AI-Forward, People-Powered.” agency model balances a thoughtfully tech-enabled and nimble approach with human judgement, instinct, accountability and the decades of experience that make Caryl Communications a powerful partner.
CMM Strategic Communications
Carin McDonald
President
Founded by President Carin McDonald, CMM Strategic Communications is a forward-thinking Wayne -based strategic public relations and communications agency dedicated to elevating brand visibility for small-to-mid-sized firms in commercial real estate, architecture, professional services and development. Drawing upon a deep background in institutional healthcare communications and client-side PR management, CMM was established to provide growing businesses with a competitive edge in leveling the playing field against institutional players.
At the core of CMM’s success is a talented, multidisciplinary team fluent in strategic planning, brand elevation and high-impact social media campaigns. Composed of skilled content creators, strategic planners, graphic specialists and project managers with deep, long-standing media relationships, the firm combines hyper-local insights with broad regional and national geographic expertise.
Beyond client work, CMM actively supports women with professional advancement opportunities and flexible schedule structuring. Through its corporate blog, the firm advocates for women in the workplace by tackling critical issues — ranging from navigating health-related challenges to examining corporate-culture practices that widen the gender gap. By taking a tailored approach to media relations, thought leadership and internal mentorship, CMM helps clients establish market authority while driving meaningful change across the business landscape.
NJBIZ In the Lead 2026: Women-Owned Businesses Index
Intro | A-C | D-L | M-S | T-Z
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