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Grace Mo-Phillips, program director of the CEI Women's Business Center in Portland, leads the BIPOC Women's Business Navigator. V O L . X X X N O. X V I I A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 4 26 ainebiz: What prompted your path to entrepreneurship? Grace Mo-Phillips: I became interested in the lobster industry after discover- ing my love for eating lobster. I saw an opportunity to use my background in international trade to contribute to the community by exporting frozen lobster worldwide. However, due to other personal priorities, it took another five years before Belle Cove came to be. Over the past 10 years, the business has expanded its product lineup to include other seafood items from the Northeast and Alaska. Seafood entrepreneur, business mentor aims to empower underserved women B Y R e n e e C o r d e s Grace Mo-Phillips, a longtime business mentor to women from ethnically and socially underserved groups at the CEI Women's Business Center in Portland, draws inspira- tion from the alumni of the BIPOC Women's Business Navigator she has created and leads. The Hong Kong native is an entrepreneur herself, exporting frozen lobster and other seafood worldwide. M E N T R E P R E N E U R & B U S I N E S S M E N T O R Grace Mo-Phillips Program director CEI Women's Business Center, Portland Founder & managing director Belle Cove LLC P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY CEI Women's Business Center 2 Portland Fish Pier, Portland Business center hosted by Coastal Enterprises Inc. and resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. What it does: Offers courses, cohorts, workshops and events that encourage peer-to-peer learning and community building, as well as one-on-one business support. ceimaine.org

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