Top Women Business
Leaders: Class of 2008
Women represent more than a third of all people involved in entrepreneurial activity, and the Golden Crescent's Top Women Business Leaders, Class of 2008, thrive in that activity.
This elite group of seven women business leaders share the goal of providing the best service possible, whether that service is home design, event organizing, day care for dogs, networking and professional development, construction, overseeing growth and mission of an organization, or interfacing with the community for a hospital.
Each is passionate about their work and about being involved in life outside work.
They are upstanding businesswomen and inspirations to others. These women are not only among the most successful and important business leaders today; they represent some of the greatest promise for tomorrow.
A recent study reported that Middle School girls say they do not want to go into business because business is not aligned with their values. This obviously needs to change, and, collectively, Business Today's Class of 2008 is a role model for that change.
These seven awardees - nominated by and voted on by women business leaders-balance home life and family, community, political and church service along with their work. They are successful and do not compromise their values. They share those values and ethic with all they come in contact with.
They live in various communities, from Sherrills Ford through the Golden Crescent of southern Iredell, Cabarrus and northern Mecklenburg and University City.
Each talks about doing her best to make their business successful, starting with treating customers right and surrounding yourself with good employees.
Business Today is proud of these women and we salute the Class of 2008, and previous winners including Joni Davis, Robin Smith, Melanie O'Connell Underwood, Cyndie Mynatt, Carol Levin, Lynne Scott Safrit, Joni Juba, Abigail Jennings, Pat Horton, Mary Hopper, Dianne Honeycutt, Kate Gaither, Sally Ashworth, Catherine Bentz, Dari Caldwell, Ginger Griffin, Carol Leahy, Barbara McCall, Karen Shore, Barbara Walker, Vickie Weant, Susan Medlin, Huyla Jackson, DeSales Wagster, Sherre DeMao, Fran Boling, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and Marilyn Celenza.
The Class of 2008, along with the members of the Classes of 2005-07, will be honored at a champagne reception Oct. 20 at The Peninsula Yacht Club in Cornelius. The event is sponsored by Lake Norman Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Duke Energy and Cabarrus Bank & Trust. The reception will include power networking facilitated by business and management consultant, and Business Today columnist, Cheryl Kane of Concord. Tickets for the event are $15. Details: 704-895-1335.
Celia Bensman
Owner, Camp Wagging Tails
Celia and Jim Bensman, who have always loved pets, opened Camp Wagging Tails in May 2005.
Camp Wagging Tails on Bailey Road in Cornelius is recognized as a leading pet care facility in the Carolinas and has grown substantially since opening, with Celia Bensman running the daily operations of the doggie day care and boarding facility. Bensman also oversees employees and greets customers. Jim handles the budget and the books.
Before opening her business, Bensman had been an elementary schoolteacher, sold Real Estate and worked in sales administration. She is a Board member of the Peninsula Property Owners Association and is active in local organizations, at one time serving on the board of the Mecklenburg Republican Woman's Club.
In 2004 she was instrumental in getting the dog park opened at Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius. Swaney Pointe is a four-acre, fenced-in, off-leash area with two sections, one for large dogs and another for smaller breeds. Bensman, a Cornelius resident, with others, lobbied the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department to create the dog park. Bensman also has been active in raising funds for construction of an animal shelter in Cornelius.
Some of her thoughts for new entrepreneurs: Running a business is a 24/7 experience. You have to be passionate about it because you are committing a lot of your time and energy to it. "It has be something that you really want to do. You spend all your waking hours there at the beginning."
Born and raised in Scotland, Celia moved to London in 1971 where she met Jim. They lived in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Reston, Va., and Philadelphia before moving to Cornelius about 12 years ago. They have two grown children, Mark 33, who lives in Philadelphia, and Sara, 31, who lives in Colorado.
Kimberly Cousineau
Vice President of Operations/ COO, Cannon Memorial YMCA
Kimberly Cousineau grew up in the YMCA. The Stanly County native is a 1991 graduate of Appalachian State University with a B.S. in exercise physiology and she began her YMCA career shortly after graduation in the Winston-Salem YMCA.
Cousineau has been with the Cannon Memorial YMCA association since 1997. As Vice President/COO, she oversees the four-branch Cannon Memorial YMCA association operations and management of $6.3 million budget with over 19,000 members. Two of these YMCA branches were developed, designed and constructed under her leadership. Other responsibilities include volunteer development, staff development, strategic planning, fund-raising, grant writing, financial operation, facility maintenance and renovations, new facility construction, risk management, image and marketing, community outreach, relationship building & partnerships, policy and procedure design, personnel management, program and membership development and supervision and development of 14 professional managing directors including three executives.
"I am certain that growing up in the YMCA gave me the foundation that I now have as a respected community leader," she says. "One of my greatest mentors was the CEO of that small town YMCA where I grew up, took swim lessons and taught aerobic classes just after college. It was this mentor who led me to my chosen field of work, a lifetime YMCA career.
"YMCA leadership has led me to many opportunities to work closely with different individuals in a variety of ways. Involvement with people and the development of programs and partnerships through building relationships have been the highlights of my career."
Cousineau and her husband, Maurice B. Cousineau Jr., and 8-year old daughter, Carlee, live in Concord.
Gayle Deal
Executive Director of Business and Community Relations,
CMC-NorthEast
It is Gayle Deal's responsibility to make sure business and political leaders and the community at large know what's going on at CMC-NorthEast.
For example, when the medical organization was seeking a certificate of need, Deal needed to make sure everyone outside the hospital in Concord got the message about the plans and the public hearings.
She works out of the planning and marketing area of NorthEast, and also is responsible for knowing the pulse of the community so officials at the hospital know what the community is thinking.
Deal's staff of four also take care of CMC-NorthEast's health fairs and other community services.
The Kannapolis resident has been with hospital for over 30 years, starting as a nurse and became executive director of business and community relations eight years ago. She has a B.S. in nursing as well as a master's degree in public administration with a concentration in health care.
Deal's advice for women starting out in the business community: "First and foremost you have to stay true to yourself and to whatever is important to you and your values. Becoming successful in the business community will come if you stay committed and always try to do the right thing for the right reason."
She serves on the board of directors of United Way, the Kannapolis Education Foundation and on the Cabarrus Arts Council.
Deal is active at her church, Trinity United Methodist Church in Kannapolis, and she and her husband, Leonard, are co-chairs of the stewardship campaign.
The couple have two grown children, Julie, who is married, and Garrett, a freshman at NC State.
Lori J. Dvorak
Owner, Invision 4 Inc.
Lori Dvorak is the founder and owner of InVision 4, operating for over 20 years.
The mission of her business is to ignite and impact the entrepreneurial and executive spirit in others. The focus of her career has always been to help people reach their goals. As a certified trainer and educator, she has worked with many audiences using an interactive and application based style that creates results.
Dvorak is an executive managing director for eWomenNetwork, which is an international networking and marketing organization for professional women with 20,000 members in U.S. and Canada. She has a chapter for professional and entrepreneurial women in the Cabarrus Region. This year she was named "Ambassador of the Year" in the organization.
She has a master's degree in business and education with certification in training and development from the University of Minnesota.
"Entrepreneurs, whether starting their business or building their business, need to work ON their business not just IN their business every day. By working ON their business, they will step back from day to day work tasks to develop their business plan, determine their vision for where they want to go and act on the strategic goals to make that vision happen," Dvorak advises.
Dvorak and her husband, Bill-who has his own business, One Choice Windows & Siding-live in the Highland Creek neighborhood. Their children and grandchildren live in Maryland.
Dakeita Vanderburg-Johnson
Vice President, Southgate Masonry and Lumber Co.
A graduate of North Carolina State University with a bachelor's of science in textile technology and textile design, Dakeita Vanderburg-Johnson is the vice president of Southgate Masonry and Lumber Co. of Concord
Southgate is one of the region's largest independent building supply companies, employing 25.
She is active in non-profit organizations including the Cabarrus Arts Council where she serves as president, CMC-Northeast Foundation member, Steering Committee member for the Cabarrus County Big Brother Big Sister Program and member of the First Presbyterian Adult Church Choir.
Vanderburg-Johnson, a Concord resident, has been a member of the Concord All America City program serving as the choreographer for the presentation, bringing home the 2004 All America City distinction. At Cannon School, she has served on the Board of Trustees and been auction chairman three years as well as PAT President.
Vanderburg-Johnson is a former Miss Connecticut 1983 and was selected as Miss NC Volunteer of the year in 1999. She is married to Steve Johnson and they have three children: Hayden, Laura and Hunter.
Karen Lawrence
Owner, It's My Affair
Karen Lawrence, entrepreneur and owner of It's My Affair, opened her business in 2002, bringing her talents and style to corporate and social meetings and events, grand opening celebrations, holiday parties and birthdays.
Lawrence has over 12 years of experience as a meeting and special event professional. She plans both domestic and international meetings. She was named one of 101 Meeting Professionals to watch in 2001 by ConventionSouth, a meeting planning industry magazine and awarded a certificate for outstanding professionalism, creativity and dedication to the meetings and convention industry.
Lawrence advises new entrepreneurs to not make excuses because every excuse just sets you behind, she says
"Get rid of excusitis! It is not your business partner. Every excuse you make takes you one step away from your God given destination to succeed," Lawrence says.
In 2004, Lawrence chaired the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce's Business Expo Steering Committee and was awarded "Outstanding Project Chairman of the Year." She has served on several charitable and civic committees including the Board of Directors for the United Way Lake Norman and the Executive Committee for the National Business Women's Week Alliance 2007, Charlotte. She is a member of the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and served as a member of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Chairman's Campaign, and the Minority Business Leadership Institute Advisory Board.
Recently, Lawrence was selected as a "Sam Walton Emerging Entrepreneur"-celebrating Sam's Club's 25th anniversary through a salute to women entrepreneurs and women's achievements in communities around the country.
Jennifer B. Pippin
Owner, Pippin Home Designs
Jennifer B. Pippin, owner of Pippin Home Designs in Sherrills Ford, is a nationally acclaimed residential design specialist and a recognized expert in sustainable building and green practices, with a focus on new homes and renovation projects.
She has been the recipient of numerous design awards, including the prestigious National Association for Women Business Owners Charlotte Woman Business Owner of the Year Award.
Pippin started her business in 1986, in Chatham County, working out of a home studio on projects from Sanford to Raleigh and Chapel Hill. In 1987, she relocated and rebuilt her business in the Charlotte and Lake Norman market.
She has this advice for new entrepreneurs:
o When you are ready to hire staff, make sure you hire people who can do the things you can't or are better at these things than you are and be willing to delegate to them.
o Working with a business management consultant can make a huge difference in how well you run your business. Having their fresh eyes look at your big picture can provide you with invaluable insight.
And her practical tips to others include: "Don't let fear of the unknown stop you from doing anything." And "Remember it never hurts to ask and if don't get the answer you wanted, ask again!"
Pippin is a certified professional building designer, a licensed North Carolina general contractor and a professional member of the American Institute of Building Design. She holds diplomas in classical architecture, green building and renewable energy technologies. She has recently completed the required courses to obtain her certified green professional designation from the National Association of Home Builders. She is the current chair of the Lake Norman HBA Green Building Council.
