Baltimore's Top Female Leaders
Three years ago, SmartCEO founded a program with a goal of recognizing 25 female CEOs who are not only growing successful companies, but who are also giving back to the community through philanthropy. Both require hard work and determination and are worthy of praise. In searching for a fitting name for such a program, we chose Bravo! - the cheer that echoes through the crowd at an opera house after an outstanding performance by a talented individual. The term seemed to encompass the spirit of this prestigious award.
There's just one small snag. "Bravo" is used to praise male performers, and this award is for women. Hence, the change to Brava! - the term used to praise a female performer. It is a fitting year to make such a change. In 2009, for the first time in history, women are projected to become the majority gender of the U.S. workforce. Demographers studying the recession (which is tending to be slightly harsher on male workers) believe this will occur sometime this fall.
Besides entering the majority, women are also undeniably making progress in executive suites across the land. Witness the handing over of the CEO role at Xerox last month to Ursula Burns, who became the first African-American woman to ever grab the helm of a Fortune 500 company. In another Fortune 500 first, she assumed the role from another woman, Anne Mulcahy, who is widely praised for helping bring Xerox back from the brink of collapse. And while the percentage of corporate officers who are female is still small (about 16 percent), for corporate America, change is clearly in the air. Such changes first occur at the grass roots level, in the attitudes and methods of smaller companies and non-profit organizations from which the largest companies often draft managerial talent.
This year's Brava! winners are no strangers to managing through periods of change. We were struck by how these 25 women have adapted to the difficult economic conditions of 2009 without losing sight of the importance of community giving. The women business owners profiled in the pages that follow give to more than 100 charity organizations and events throughout the Baltimore area. The winning companies have also experienced an average growth rate of 35 percent to 40 percent per year and have collectively been employed with their current company for over 250 years, the average tenure being 12 years. The winners represent a variety of industries, including architecture, Web site design, construction, biotech and education.
SmartCEO asked the winners a variety of questions relating to their proudest moments, advice to other CEOs, the future of their industries, and more. One of the biggest lessons learned for Brava winner Laura Penza of Penza Bailey Architects, Inc., is the importance of education.
"I continue to educate and improve myself, along with helping to make business improvements and community improvements," she says. "I have learned, though, that striving for perfection can block productivity and tolerance, while striving for excellence is a worthwhile personal challenge. The knowledge that there are many levels of personal excellence fosters understanding and tolerance."
For Rita Hope Counts, president and CEO of BrightKey, Inc., it was her company's move into a new office space that stands out as a proud and memorable experience. "This meant we had outgrown our ‘training wheels' and moved into a larger, more professional location," she says.
Education is the one of the main objectives SmartCEO aims to achieve with each issue of the magazine, and with programs like Brava!, these winners are able to learn from one another's experiences and business models.
To be considered for the Brava! program, nominees must provide tangible examples of how they have successfully shaped their companies and contributed to the community through philanthropic acts. Nominees must also be in their current role for at least one year and be headquartered in the Greater Baltimore area. Nominees are evaluated by an independent committee of business leaders.
Winners:
Anita Brightman
A. Bright Idea Advertising and Public Relations
www.abrightideaonline.com
Mollie Spilman
BDMetrics, Inc.
www.bdmetrics.com
Rita Hope Counts
BrightKey, Inc.
www.BrightKey.net
Stephanie Novak Hau
Chesapeake Environmental Management, Inc.
www.chesenv.com
Bobbi MacDonald
City Neighbors Charter School Inc.
www.cityneighbors.org
Ruth Ann Norton
Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning
www.leadsafe.org
Theresa Daytner
Daytner Construction Group
www.daytnercorp.com
Terry D Sherman
Delmarva Trailer Sales & Rentals
www.delmarvatrailers.com
Julie Keough
E-Structors, Inc.
www.e-structors.com
Tracey Halvorsen
Fastspot LLC
www.fastspot.com
Valentia McVey Mundell
FatCat Studios, Inc.
www.fatcat-studios.com
Kelly Mitchell
ImpactHR
www.impacthrllc.com
Shina Parker
Integrity Title & Escrow Company
www.integritytitlellc.com
Kathy Snyder, CCE
Maryland Chamber of Commerce
www.mdchamber.org
Karen Z. Buck
Maryland Perfect Wedding Guide
www.Maryland.PerfectWeddingGuide.com
Laura Thul Penza
Penza Bailey Architects
www.penzabailey.com
Bryn Parchman
Port Discovery Children's Museum
www.portdiscovery.org
April O'Koren
Project Masters
www.projmasters.com
Marianne Rowan-Braun
Ronald McDonald House
www.rmhbaltimore.com
Leah Messina
Sinuate Media
www.sinuatemedia.com
Brenda L. Shawley
SNS Marketing
www.snsmarketing.com
Stella M. Miller
Stella May Contracting, Inc.
www.StellaMay.com
Cathy Yost
The Business Monthly
www.bizmonthly.com
Kerrie Brady
Traxion Therapeutics
www.traxiontx.com
Ellen Hemmerly
UMBC Research Park Corporation
www.bwtechumbc.com
