LYNN — When Irma Chez was named Essex Media Group’s “Person of the Year” for Swampscott in 2021, she described herself then as a person with a “heart of service.” It’s an attribute that’s guided her throughout her career, working in property management for 25 years and serving in top leadership positions, including as the Executive Director of the Swampscott Housing Authority, where she secured millions in grant funding during her time there.
The longtime Lynn resident had always dreamt of adding “CEO” to her resume, and in 2023, she opened Precise Management and Residence Services (PMRS), a housing-management company, where she currently serves as CEO. It was last year, while she was in the process of opening PRMS’ office on 20 Central Ave in Lynn, that she got introduced to the North Shore Women’s Connect, a non-profit organization founded in 1984 that creates opportunities for businesswomen through networking events and programming, through its then-Vice President, Cindy Moore.
After becoming a member of North Shore Women’s Connect, Chez became enamored by the opportunities as a businesswoman to meet and network with other women. Just last month, she achieved yet another feat by becoming the organization’s first minority woman to be named President.
“This organization, it’s more than just a group of women just talking and about business, it’s really become a group where we just really uplift each other,” said Chez, who was honored on Jan. 21 with a ceremony that was held at Teresa’s Italian Eatery in Middleton. “We’ve made great friends, and we are there for each other to know that we’re not by ourselves. As women, we go through things, we have families, we have so much pressure around because we wear so many hats. And so, it’s really become a place where we just help each other.”
The North Shore Women’s Connect currently has members from across Massachusetts, including Lynn, Salem, Peabody, Swampscott, and even Middleton, Andover, and Ipswich, all ranging from ages 23 to even 75 years old, Chez says. As President, her main goal right now is to continue “to expand” their membership to even more women on the North Shore and beyond, all while helping them grow their business through programming, networking, and community events and mixers, as well as a book club. Last year, they awarded $1,000 scholarships to two female college students pursuing a degree in a business-related field through the Lesley Fox Denny Memorial Scholarship, named in honor of the late-Lesley Fox Denny, a Peabody resident who also grew up in Marblehead and owned her consulting company before she passed away in 2010 at the age of 45.
Chez wants the North Shore Women’s Connect to also inspire the next generation of businesswomen and leaders, too. “My goal is to continue to spread the word and have women join us and be part of an organization so we can continue to strive and break barriers,” she said.
