Woman of the Year

2009 Woman of the Year Barbara Newman Past WOTY Award Recipients 2008 Lou Panni 2007 Elsabe Slatin   2006 Julianne Harris: Mom and Me Clean Sweep Team, Pre-Paid Legal Service. 2005 Edrie Bizak: Tri-Star Search 2004 Tammy Everall: Everall Design 2003 Emily Evans: The Energy Outlet 2002 Deena Cook: Mary Kaye Cosmetics 2001 Lori Macedone: Send-A-Song Singing Telegrams 2000 Cathy Worthington: Worthington Business Services 1999 Tish Larsen: Accounts Squared 1998 Jane Scheidecker: LCC Business Development Center 1997 Kathy Leighton: The Coffee Corner 1996 Donna Freshman: The Artemis Group 1995 Lee Inkmann: Inkmann Marketing

Each November, the Women’s Business Network
presents the Woman of the Year Award to award is designed to honor women who embody the spirit of WBN and who best exemplify the WBN mission statement. Our committee is made up of previous WOTY recipients and we are pleased to have five of them here tonight. We former Women of the Year met at Elsabe’s house for a little afternoon tea. We based our decision on member input and on the following personal attributes:

• Leadership inside and outside of WBN
• Business success
• Personal growth & professional growth
• Networking acumen
• Professional education
• Provides support to women

We are fortunate in WBN to have such a strong group of women who are all deserving of such an honor. Thank you for your submissions.
However, we could only choose one and we chose the one that embodies these attributes and had the most overwhelming majority of votes.
This year’s winner has been around the block a few times…I say that because she walks a lot. So, let me tell you a little about her…Here are some comments made by some of you:

• She has a great sense of humor and always has a welcoming smile for you when you see her.
• She shows great leadership and always asks for more responsibilities because she knows she can handle them. She also knows when to say no, when her plate is too full and giving less than 100% would not be consistent with her nature.
• She loves to dress up in her professional clothes AND sensible shoes!
• She is very involved in the community AND works on several businesses.
• She has the most positive attitude even when times are difficult.
• She cares deeply about her WBN sisters and for the group as a whole.
• She has worked tirelessly to raise funds creatively for WBN.

 

DO YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS YET? Here’s a little more…

• Her message is, “When we work as a team, everything is possible, success is inevitable.”
• She enjoys collecting and her home is filled with memorable things that she treasures.
• She really enjoys BUD Light!
• In the evenings, she can be seen enjoying the sunset and falling leaves in her jammies and bathrobe while sitting on her porch.
• She wears a green jacket a lot and greets new businesses.
• She has spent most of her life in Oregon, a few years in Washington; she’s a West coast girl through and through.
• She was the second child of thirteen and helped her older sister with the rest of the children and the housework. They were quite a team together, each using their strengths and supporting each other when they needed it.
• She has two beautiful daughters and two handsome grandsons, who are the joys of her life.
• At various times she was a waitress (in the ‘70’s at Mama’s Homefried Truckstop and in the ‘90’s owner of The Keystone Café), then a nurse, and now a successful mortgage professional. She is also a respected member of our board. Please welcome 2009’s Woman of the Year, my friend and yours, Barbara Newman.
At this time I would also like to recognize the other women who were nominated for Woman of the Year. It’s a great honor and you need to know that each of you were mentioned numerous times as a wonderful candidate deserving of this honor. Those women are: Susie Piper, Elaine Hartley, Barbara Passarelli, Kathryn Gaines, Kim Arscott, Karen Rainsong and Joy Pendowski.

 

Congratulations!

Lou Panni, 2009 WBN Woman of the Year