July 25, 2025
When small-business owners in Union County need help navigating New Jersey’s maze of permits, financing programs and compliance rules, they often end up at the door of Melissa Rosario, regional director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC). In the newest installment of Vintage City Stories, host Don Treich sat down with Rosario to discuss her unlikely ascent from Dominican-Republic TV producer to chamber-of-commerce insider, and now to the top post at one of the state’s most influential entrepreneurship networks.
Rosario’s résumé is anything but linear. She grew up stocking shelves in her mother’s clothing shops and managing her father’s agricultural-consulting office. At just 16 she created and hosted a Dominican travel program that spotlighted lesser-known historic sites—experience she now calls “my first lesson in storytelling, logistics and selling a vision.” That creative streak led her from a bachelor’s degree in economics to nearly a decade at the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, where she rose from intern to membership director. “I was the only Latina in the room when I started,” she told Treich. “I made it my job to build programs that finally reflected Hudson County’s 45 percent Hispanic population.”
That ground-level work prepared her for the NJSBDC, whose federally and state-funded consulting network serves more than 500 Elizabeth-area companies each year. “I help businesses navigate the complex New Jersey environment,” she said. “It is complex—so we make the road map.” The center offers no-cost, one-on-one advising on capital, technology, export readiness and, increasingly, artificial-intelligence tools that boost productivity.
One signature initiative is “ELLA”—the Women’s Mentoring Program Rosario designed and now runs weekly at William Paterson University. The curriculum addresses three tiers of entrepreneurship: personal readiness, professional skills and day-to-day operations. “You have to figure out yourself first,” she said, stressing that mindset and structure matter as much as revenue projections. A similar program is slated for Elizabeth later this year.
Education, Rosario argued, remains the single biggest gap for start-ups. “Before you write a rent check, write a business plan,” she said. “Think of it like Waze—roads change every day. Without an updated map, you’re lost.” That consulting philosophy dovetails with her upcoming workshop on May 19, where the SBDC will guide companies through New Jersey’s latest small-business grant programs.
Rosario sees enormous potential in Elizabeth’s “hidden-gem” status. With direct rail, port and airport access and a 66-percent Hispanic population, the city is poised for a wave of culturally rooted entrepreneurship, she said. Over the next five years she expects SBDC client numbers in Elizabeth to triple as awareness spreads and new AI-enabled training rolls out. “It takes one person to lead change,” she told Trice. “Once that starts, you’ll see success ripple everywhere.”
Asked for advice to young leaders, Rosario was succinct: “Be persistent. If one door says no, it just means that’s not your door. Keep learning—facts speak louder than intentions.” For now her own facts are clear: a statewide network of eight SBDC centers, hundreds of businesses served each year, and a mission to transform Elizabeth’s diversity into economic momentum. As Treichsummed up, “It’s a labor of love—but the village is gathering.”
