Determination and Dedication

How five women business owners succeed in Northwest Indiana.
by Rick A. Richards

Determination has helped sweep away any impediments to business success for five Northwest Indiana women who have carved out successful niches by doing things their way.

When Georgeann Quealy decided the time was right to move her food ingredient company from a 6,000-square-foot building in Michigan City into a 28,000-square-foot building in Pines, she not only organized the transition, she held daily meetings with construction crews and didn't miss a day of manufacturing.

“In my field – manufacturing – women are fairly scarce,” admits Quealy. “But I haven't experienced any kind of discrimination or other problems.

“I just put myself in a position where success could happen,” says Quealy. “During the construction process here, I took it on myself. I researched what we were looking at and every day I met with contractors.”

Quealy's Integrative Flavors has been around since 1938. It moved to Michigan City in 1982 after stops in Chicago and Gary. The company specializes in food bases and during World War II, provided bouillon for C rations. Today, the company manufactures 114 different flavor bases – seafood, chicken, turkey, beef and pork – for hotels, schools, restaurants and other food providers around the United States.

Among its customers are Butoni pasta, Nestle, Heinz, Rod Lobster, Steak & Shake, Panera Bread and Applebee's.

“I own my own business, but I think being a woman in business is still an issue,” says Quealy. “I don't know how or when it won't be an issue. In my first meeting with contractors to talk about the remodeling here before we moved in, I made it a point to speak up. I wanted them to know who was in charge.”

By the same token, Quealy is eager to help others get started in business. “Everything we can do to hire someone new and help them out, we'll do it. I think by being a woman business owner, I want to create a family atmosphere here.”

One thing Quealy did was to bring in a yoga instructor on Mondays, not only because she wanted to practice yoga to help her relax, but she thought it would be good for the entire plant. “I don't think a lot of men would think about doing something like that.”

She also has organized a company cookout where employees can take the afternoon off (with pay) and enjoy a cookout in the company parking lot.

Quealy, who bought the business from her parents in 2005, prides herself on marching to her own beat. Along with her husband, Brian (who is vice president), she looks for ways to not only expand the company, but to even out its seasonal production peaks and valleys.

Production is busiest during the fourth quarter and drops off during the summer, so Quealy is working on developing new products that will keep Integrative Flavors' 15 employees busy year-round.

Once that happens, Quealy says she wants to expand the workforce. “Eventually, I'd like to see all 30 parking spaces in the lot full,” she says.

The story for Rita Bacevich is much the same. She founded HDW Commercial Interiors in 1991 and over the past 20 years her company has steadily grown.

“I've never worried about a glass ceiling. I never allowed myself to go there, but it is not as much of an issue in my line of work as it is for some women,” says Bacevich. “Like most mothers, I've always told my daughter she could do anything, so I push through obstacles – graciously.”

In 2010, Bacevich was honored as the Minority Small Business Person of the Year by the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center. “Getting into this business was a natural fit,” says Bacevich, whose company is based in Schererville and also has an office in South Bend.

“In addition to a love for design, I have always had very strong business skills. The challenge of helping other businesses to enhance aesthetics, streamline functionality and come in under budget is actually pretty fascinating to me.”

Bacevich insists on making sure HDW takes customer needs into account by enhancing the look, enhancing the function and enhancing the bottom line. “It may be trite, but we follow the oldest guideline out there – service, service, service. We help people solve problems and manage projects. Even if the project is quite small, clients will remember you by what you did for them. Our business has grown solely on return business and referrals.”

Bacevich has learned to keep up with changes in the industry. Part of that is simply staying attuned to trends, but part of it is anticipating change. “Fifteen years ago, it was a simple matter of ordering a desk and choosing a paint color. Over the years, we have happily made things a little more complicated for ourselves – adding space planning, CAD drawings, project specifications and delving into the rigors of education and healthcare design.”

Even though recent months have been difficult because of the sputtering economy, Bacevich says she prepared for that. “HDW is all about design and furnishings for business – within budget. Well, when businesses are facing tough times, these things tend to be pushed to the back burner.

“But many businesses realize that the functionality of their staff, as well as how they are perceived by their end users (especially with regard to high-profile areas such as waiting rooms, conference rooms and reception desks) plays a key role in contributing to their bottom line. We have always charged ourselves with finding cost-effective solutions, so we have always been prepared for the client challenge of ‘How can I do it for less?'”

Sometimes all the business education and preparation in the world isn't enough. Ask Jacqueline Barton, president and owner of Specialized Staffing Solutions LLC in South Bend. Her company also has offices in Elkhart and in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, Mich.

Shari J. Carroll, director of marketing for the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, heaps praise on Barton for overcoming the incredibly difficult challenge of having one of her employees shot at work.

In an apparently random act, someone fired a shot through a window of her South Bend office a few months ago, striking an employee in the head. Carroll says the employee is “doing much better now and is in rehab.”

While dealing with that, Barton still had to continue operating her business, which provides staffing services to offices, professional businesses, light manufacturers and technical operations.

“Being a small business in general, I make sure to always have the appropriate funding for what I want to do,” says Barton. “It is a challenge sometimes, but that's the most important thing any small business can do. You need to put together a good business plan.”

Once a plan is created, Barton says, the next step is to talk to a bank.

“I was in the business world at 25 and over the years I've learned how to work with vendors and banks. It is fundamental for me to be able to work at different levels of the company.”

In 2001, right after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, Barton opened her business. “My confidence was there,” she says, adding that she worked out a plan with investors, giving them shares in the company. The deal was that within three years she would buy their shares back and become sole owner, and that's exactly what happened.

“When I deal with a customer or a bank, I want them to know this is an owner who understands her business.” In the last decade her business has grown to include a staff of 35, with 8,000 associates.

“Right now, I have a $30 million company,” says Barton. “I picked an industry that's a joy.”
Even though the economy has been tough over the last two years, Barton says her company has grown 20 percent to 30 percent a year. “In that time, we've expanded and gone into providing staffing for pharmaceutical and food companies.

“We're not looking for growth for the sake of growth, but we're looking to create new models for staffing,” says Barton. “My vision is to take the needs of companies and pair them up with the skills people have. For instance, we work with a baking business and manage its distribution and packaging. I know how to hire people to do those things that aren't necessarily complementary with their core business.”

At the same time, Barton donates 10 percent back to the communities where she operates. “I think it is key to make an impact in the community.”

Valley Screen Process Co. is a family business in every sense of the word. Owner Karen Barnett took over as owner from her father, Jerry Bauer, who founded the business in 1967. But more than that, Barnett says the 50 employees at her South Bend company are also her family.

Barnett, who graduated from Indiana University in 1984 and went to work for the family business in sales, was named president in 1996. In 2008, she purchased a majority stake in the business, a year after her father passed away.

Valley Screen is a graphics company that works closely with the recreational vehicle and marine industries. In 2008, the company was named the Small Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County.

To cope with the downturn in the RV and boating business, Barnett reached out to other customers. As a result, Allstate Insurance signed on with Valley Screen to provide all of the graphics for its fleet of vehicles.

“We have to be more creative today,” says Barnett. “We now have a diverse client base. Before the recession, we were 95 percent in the RV and marine graphics business.”

While she still works with Jayco, Forest River and Gulfstream in the RV business, and Godfrey and Rinker in the marine business, she's moved into healthcare with Elkhart General Hospital, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and Michiana Hematology.

Barnett firmly believes business success depends on a good workforce. “We always place an employee high up on our priority list, sometimes ahead of the business,” says Barnett. “When the economy went bad, the whole company participated in making sacrifices. Everyone took a pay cut. We came together as a team.”

Another way Barnett moved her company forward was to get it certified as a woman-owned business. “I applied for that right after I purchased it and it's been very helpful,” she says. “I've been really fortunate. Through the business, I've been on the board of the chamber and that has helped me get to know other business leaders in the community.”

She's met other women business owners, and Barnett says they all look out for each other. “Women like to see each other succeed. We network together and that helps our business.”
For Glee Renick-May, opportunity presented itself in 2009 when Indiana Business Magazine ceased publishing. Renick-May, who has more than 30 years in advertising sales and marketing achievements, helped create several niche publications when she worked for Indiana Business Magazine, including Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly. Now she is owner and publisher of the magazine, that began back in 1991 as an economic development/quality of life publication.

“I was thrilled about the opportunity, but assuming total responsibility was overwhelming at first,” says Renick-May. “We were in the midst of a serious recession, and publishing companies were going out of business everywhere in the country.”

Since then, she says other organizations have created niche magazines and the demand for online magazine formats and digital marketing is growing.

“It will be interesting to see just how this will impact the print media industry in the years ahead and overall magazine strategy for adding publications. But research is conclusive that magazines will be there in the future, as strong as ever. Our magazine has increased 25 percent in advertising revenues this past year. This is very encouraging news, and I'm very grateful for it. We are moving ahead with our business plans as evidence of increases in ad revenues continues this year.”

Renick-May says the focus of Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly is “to provide informative and positive business news. The impact of well-written articles is priceless.”

Same is true with well-thought-out ad campaigns and creative work. “It is my belief that this region offers great opportunities for businesses and incentives for locating here. Our magazine simply reflects the greatness in the businesses that serve the communities in this region and greatness in leadership,” she explains.

“I encourage and invite magazine team members to comment or help me in the decision-making process,” says Renick-May. “My magazine team members are accomplished in their fields of expertise and they take ownership when it comes to producing our magazines. I greatly value their contributions and I treat them with respect. But as the owner, the final decision is my call. Right or wrong, you have to live with it. I learn from my mistakes and I try not repeat them.

“My magazine team writers and editors are award-winning journalists. I seek out great writers who have a proven track record and reader following. What is unique with our publication is to have an editorial and advisory board that provides our magazine editorial suggestions, support and guidance.” This was in place 20 years ago when the magazine began as a cooperative magazine venture with the Northwest Indiana Forum.

Renick-May says the biggest obstacles she had to overcome are growing pains and competitors that have a larger staff and operating budgets. “But I would rather operate my business in the black, build it constructively and continue to be profitable. The process is already in the making for growing my business to a million-dollar-plus endeavor and for attaining business capital. That includes adding business services, investors and attaining a business partnership. This is all a part of the business plan. And knowing when to move on a new idea or sit on it to evaluate further can be costly. If you ponder too long you may lose your great idea to a competitor. You just have to go with a gut feeling at times. In this competitive fast technology-based business environment, I would advise seeking legal counsel to protect your business and intellectual property.”

She advises new and emerging women entrepreneurs, “Be sure you have a passion for the career you have chosen, know the industry well, and that you are 100 percent willing to make the sacrifice that goes along with the price of success. For me that is finding life balance and personal time for myself. The business climate in these challenging economic times can get discouraging and you experience disappointing setbacks. These are the external events that you have no control over. You just have to believe in the business you have and know that it has great value and serves a purpose. Build a strong support network and seek business mentors you can trust to help you focus, advise and give you encouragement. Look for ways to improve your business services or products. And take care of your customers. By helping them achieve their goals, you will also achieve yours.”

Away from the magazine, Renick-May is involved with Emmis Communications in Indianapolis, where she is a radio show host and co-executive producer. “This is a part of how I give back to my community for the last 25 years. Most of the interviews have been with non-profit organizations in central Indiana. I've also added to the mix some national topics, performing arts and business interviews. This is my other passion away from the magazine. I work with a team of talented hosts who also are accomplished in their own respective careers. Besides my interests in business, I'm an advocate for social justice and change. That includes child neglect/abuse, animal welfare, homelessness, domestic violence and women's rights, especially in the Third World. Being a positive role model and mentoring young women are other ways I advocate for women.”