University Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership
President and CEO, MZM Construction Co., Inc.
Marjorie Perry is the president and CEO of MZM Construction & Management Company, Inc. She is also an innovator, public speaker, writer and role model for women and minorities in business. Using the lessons of her extraordinary path to success and 26 years of experience for inspiration, Perry finds her calling to be motivating nascent entrepreneurs to develop and pursue their dreams. Trained as an educator with a B.A. from Kean College, Perry’s career in teaching was diverted after a series of layoffs with the Newark Public School system. In a fortuitous career move, she decided to try sales and marketing. She went on to work for corporate giants 3M, Johnson & Johnson and United Airlines, culminating in a vision for a life as an entrepreneur.
Perry launched a consulting company focused on helping entrepreneurs succeed in the marketplace. Resourceful and open to possibility, she and two partners founded MZM Construction & Management. Soon after, she became sole principal of the company, which has sustained a multimillion dollar bottom line for 24 years. Perry is now a coveted inspirational speaker and writer, motivating people with the message that, “You, too, can do it!” She has spoken throughout the United States on women in business and navigating in the competitive business environment. Speaking engagements include: New Jersey Governor’s Conference for Women, Executive Women Breakfast Series, the National Association of Women Business Owners, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, UPN 9, News 12 and NJN’s NJ Caucus with Steve Adubato.
She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including New Jersey’s premier business publication, NJBIZ 2011 Business of the Year,, New Jersey Business of Hall of Fame, SBA Business of the Year 2012, Best 50 Women in Business, the Top 25 Entrepreneurs in New Jersey and a graduate of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 small business initiative. More recently, Perry was selected by Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg 2015 as one of the top 15 businesses in the country for major growth within the next five years. She is a participant in the Small Business Advisory Board program with UBS and The Clinton Foundation and a recent past member of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. In addition, Perry is an adjunct professor at NJIT and Stevens, teaching MBA students methods of successful entrepreneurs.
Perry is co-chair of the Board of Overseers of NJIT and member of the advancement committee of the Board of Trustees. At Kean University, Perry is a member of the Foundation Board and chair of the real estate and acquisition committee. She is member of the Newark Regional Business Partnership and a mentor to three inner-city college-bound youth.
Perry received her MBA from NJIT with additional coursework at Rutgers, Stevens, NYU and NJIT. She completed a finance certification program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.