Opinion: Women-owned firms cross industry boundaries

At SBJ, we’ve long been aware of the importance of women in the workplace – as key executives, as business owners and in the trenches.

In 2000, when SBJ first began recognizing the accomplishments of women, our special event was called Women In Business. In recent years, the name has changed to Most Influential Women, because we recognize that while there are many, many women in influential corporate positions, there also are women making a difference in the education and nonprofit sectors.

Still, it’s a perfect time for us to take a look at what businesswomen are doing in the Ozarks.

One of our lists this week, Area’s Largest Majority Women-Owned Businesses, is a great snapshot of the various industries in which women are finding professional fulfillment. Industries of listed companies include information technology, retail, architecture, staffing, advertising, promotional products, health and wellness, and manufacturing.

The list represents countless hours of work by Joyce Embree who handles all such research for our weekly listings and our annual Book of Lists.

The criteria set forth for the list mandates that it is ranked first by the percentage of a company’s ownership that is held by a woman – and it must be at least 51 percent – and then by the total number of employees.

The task of narrowing down an initial field of more than 100 women-owned businesses for the list wasn’t an easy one, but Embree, with her typical dedication, rose to the occasion. She knows, though, that in the weeks and months to come, we will hear of other women-owned businesses, and she will collect that information and file it for future use.

Based on this year’s research alone, one thing is clear: Women can do, and be, anything they want. Gone are the days when career choices were limited to fields such as teaching and nursing. Of course there are women who find joy in working in schools and health care settings. The difference, I think, is that these days, they choose to pursue those lines of work.

The Ozarks region has plenty of opportunities to address women in the workplace, whether they’re paving the way for younger women in their industries, starting their own companies or reaching out to help people and organizations in need. As you read about the businesswomen in this issue, take note of their accomplishments, their goals and the lessons they’ve learned on their journeys.

Also, take a moment to join me and the staff of the Springfield Business Journal as we honor the 2006 class of Most Influential Women: Marci Bowling, Developmental Center of the Ozarks; Dolores Brooks, retired educator; Andrea Croley, Croley Insurance & Financial; Liz Delany, Alice 95.5 FM; Judy Doverspike, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southwest Missouri; Melissa Haddow, Community Partnership of the Ozarks; Robin House, City Utilities; Camille Lockhart, BKD LLP; Ann Meese, Springfield Catholic Schools; Bev Miller, American Red Cross Greater Ozarks Chapter; Rita Needham, Southwest Area Manufacturers Association; Barby Pohl, Great Southern Bank; Pat Reiser, Family Violence Center Inc.; Peggy Riggs, Springfield Public Schools; Deanna Scott, Legal Services of Southern Missouri; Debra Shantz, Hammons Hotels; Krystal Simon, Interactive Hotel Solutions; and Angela Wessell, Burrell Behavioral Health.

You can read more about the 2006 class of Twenty Most Influential Women in a special publication that will be inserted in the Sept. 25 issue of SBJ.

Maria Hoover is features editor for Springfield Business Journal. She may be reached at mhoover@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]