Alameda County Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

By Elizabeth Lanyon, Women's Initiative Senior Grant Writer

Photos by Lily Dong, www.lilydongphotography.com

Attendees of the Alameda County Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

Every year, Women’s Initiative hosts Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award celebrations to recognize the exceptional contributions of women business leaders.  This year was no exception as we held events in Contra Costa County, Silicon Valley and Alameda County to celebrate the success of women entrepreneurs.   Held at the Berkeley City Club on October 12 with more than 200 guests, the Alameda County celebration this year was especially moving.   

The Berkeley City Club was built by Julia Morgan and opened in 1930 as a social club and residence for women.  Julia Morgan was a leader in her own time, one of the first women to graduate from UC Berkeley with a degree in Civil Engineering, the first woman to be accepted at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris for architecture, and the first woman architect licensed in California.  

Shoppers enjoying the Graduate Marketplace

Standing in the library and balcony which held the Women’s Initiative Graduate Marketplace, it was clear that Julia Morgan had big plans for the women who would pass through those rooms.  The building design brings the outside in, creating a space for women to socialize, educate and become ambassadors for the changes that would shape women’s history.  Women’s Initiative shares many of these same values for women entrepreneurs, encouraging out clients to learn from each other and collaborate in business to leverage skills and experience that can help their businesses grow.  

Maricruz Castro, winner of Graduate Entrepreneurial Spirit Award

 Maricruz Castro, owner of Majestic Maids, was honored for her persistence and resilience in pursuing business ownership.  Despite the road blocks, Maricruz was determined to make a better life for herself. She even taught herself to drive so she could work three jobs to support her family.  She found Women’s Initiative at a difficult time in her life, and realized that she had the potential to build something for her future.  Today, Maricruz is the owner of The Majestic Maids and has five employees.  She is a proud mother and role model for any woman who was told she was never going to make it.   

DeeDee Towery, winner of Woman Entrepreneur of the Year

Deedee Towery was honored as the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. Her commitment to excellence is undeniable.  Deedee is the Founder and President of ProActiveBusiness Solutions, Inc., one of the leading IT companies in the Bay Area.  Since founding the company in 1998, Deedee now has over 200 employees throughout the United States and Canada.  

Women like Maricruz and Deedee follow the footsteps of our sheroes, who paved the way for all women to pursue their dreams, to let nothing stand in the way of their ambitions.  I definitely got the feeling that we were surrounded by generations of women who came through the Berkeley City Club; women who, just like graduates of Women’s Initiative, knew they had to overcome social challenges and stigmas to achieve their potential.  When the event was over, as the shopping at the Graduate Marketplace slowed, as everyone got back to their offices for the afternoon, Julia Morgan’s story left me with the idea that women can and will make change when given an opportunity, and that change will impact far more than those you can see.  If Julia were at the event, I am sure it would have brought tears to her eyes to see how far we’ve come and what we are truly able to accomplish – one woman, one woman owned business at a time.

Realities and Potentialities in Gender Equity

By Rachel Adler, Summer Intern

 
Alicia Robb of the Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship wrote a recent post for the Forbes blog entitled "Women: It's Time to Own Your Potential."  This title represents the juxtaposition of challenge and promise that women entrepreneurs embody. 

As Robb describes, there is much work to be done towards gender equity in the business world.  "Women own less than 30 percent of all businesses and only 16 percent of businesses with paid employees," Robb states, and "Women-owned firms generate just 4 percent of total revenues, 6 percent of employment, and 4.5 percent of payroll."  Robb also links to a Kauffman Foundation video sketchbook which presents additional statistics about the success gaps between men- and women-owned businesses: women-owned businesses are growing more slowly and have less access to networks of capital than men-owned businesses, for example.

Robb's post reminded me of Anne-Marie Slaughter's controversial article published this month in the Atlantic Monthly, called "Why Women Still can't Have It All."  Slaughter's article deals more with the stories of women in positions of political authority, rather than exclusively women entrepreneurs, but there are many connections between the struggles and realities of women in these overlapping categories.  There are unique challenges for women working to succeed in business, political, and academic positions that men in similar positions do not face.  Slaughter's article calls out cultural concepts of time, family values, and the arc of a successful career, among others, as some of these unique challenges.  Robb points to a lack of female presence in investor networks and on boards of directors as others. 

These articles do a good job of presenting the realities of women's empowerment today.  They do not sugarcoat the situation: clearly, there is much work to be done to bring about greater gender equity in business, academic, political, and cultural worlds.  This is why organizations like Women's Initiative are so important.  Through the Simple Steps and SuccessLink programs, women from a variety of low-income backgrounds are empowered to enter the business world with the support of knowledgeable staff, experienced alumnae, and professional networks.  For example, through Connect Events, Women’s Initiative alumnae can network with successful business professionals as potential investors and advisors who can help them grow their businesses in a number of ways.  Through connections such as these, Women’s Initiative programs help narrow the gap between growth rates of men- and women-owned businesses.

Robb closes her article with notes of inspiration, listing several resources for women who want to launch high-growth ventures, become investors, or join boards of directors.  Slaughter, too, presents a number of ideas and innovations to counter the disparities she details earlier in the article.  There's a lot of work to be done, but with thinkers like Robb and Slaughter, and forces like Women's Initiative, there are many ways to move forward towards a more gender-equitable workforce and culture.

First Open Air Marketplace Attracts Visitors from All Over Concord

Author: Guest blogger, Mechthild von Knobelsdorff, SuccessLink Fellow

Sharon Plousha selling her delicious cookie

Sharon Plousha could not even take a small break – she had just celebrated her graduation from Women's Initiative's Simple Steps program the evening before when she sold her own cookies at the Open Air Market Place in Concord. She was one of 22 local women to exhibit the products of her local business. The range of products was accordingly broad. Visitors could buy products as diverse as sweets, wine, jewelry, special barbecue sauce or a photographer's service. Entering one of the rows of nicely decorated stands, they could already smell the beautiful bees wax candles Jan Schubert crafted. On the other side, Perry's Catering helped to keep bellies full and minds happy as the time passed by. Visitors lined up to taste some of the barbecue and potato salad prepared by the graduate. The next stand invited visitors to enjoy delicious desert of fruit salad and Mexican ice creams.

Barbeque from Perry's Catering

People from all over Concord came to attend this special event, and business people around Water World California used their lunch break to buy a nice gift for Mother's Day, wander around, and eat something. They enjoyed the experience of the market as all vendors were extremely friendly and they had the special feeling that their money would stay in their community. Moreover, the sun broke its way through the morning clouds and warmed people's souls. For Jan's bees wax candles, it almost got too hot, causing them to sweat slightly. “This will give them a nice polish tomorrow,” Jan said.

Jan Schubert's beeswax candles

Surprisingly for many visitors, the open air marketplace was the first of its kind. Very well organized and well attended, the event was a huge success. Sharon sold almost all of her cookies. Her new clients are surely waiting for the next market place already.