The success stories of five local executives and owners.
by Shari Held
More than 10 million U.S. firms are owned by women. And those numbers are anticipated to increase this year. In a recent national survey of women business owners (conducted by Web.com and the National Association of Women Business Owners) 85 percent surveyed anticipate an increase in women going into business for themselves in 2013.
In part, that migration from corporate America to entrepreneurial ventures is fueled by an unwillingness to deal with the proverbial glass ceiling–and yes, although much has changed over the years in the way business is conducted, the glass ceiling still makes it difficult for women to reach the top. While women make up 46.7 percent of the U.S. labor force, only 4 percent of CEOs are women, according to Catalyst, a global nonprofit organization with a mission to expand opportunities for women and business.
“Women are willing to work harder and fight harder because we have to,” says Jo-Ann Plank, president, Hawk Enterprises Inc. “That's probably why there are a lot more women who are self-employed today than ever before.”
Women and entrepreneurship is a combination that has been going strong in Northwest Indiana for decades. Despite the ever-changing business environment and the individual circumstances of each woman business owner, the core elements for success remain constant: a willingness to learn the ins and outs of the business, dogged determination to hang steady despite the obstacles, hard work and a strong belief that they–and their businesses–will succeed.
Here's an inspiring and informative look at the journey of five area women, from seasoned pioneers to the new generation of women now venturing into the territory–their challenges, successes and what it took for them to get where they are today.
Jo-Ann Plank
President
Hawk Enterprises Inc.
Crown Point
When Jo-Ann Plank and her husband got married they, along with a partner, purchased a company that installed traffic signals, highway lighting and sign structures, and set about learning the business. The hands-on experience honed Plank's business skills–she was a former journalist–and her entrepreneurial instincts.
“I thought I could do it better,” she says. “So I started my own company, doing the same thing.” Incorporated in 1988, the bulk of work for Hawk Enterprises is for federally or state-funded government projects.
“I put everything into this company over the years,” says Plank, a mother of three who worked 11-hour days. “It wasn't just for me. When you own a company there are so many people who depend on you.”
At its peak the company brought in $22 million in annual revenue and employed 110 people. When the economy collapsed, receiving payment became an issue. “It was a constant struggle,” Plank says.
She met the challenge head-on. Plank downsized, pulling out of the Illinois marketplace and partnered with “friendly” banks to keep the company afloat. Today it employs 40 people and has annual revenue of $10 million, but it's solid.
“I got into an industry I never thought I would,” Plank says, adding that although it worked for her, she doesn't particularly recommend going into a business you know nothing about. “You follow leads in your life and just go for it. You have to be persistent and you have to be aggressive. That's how you do it.”
One of her biggest challenges as a woman in the male-dominated construction business was getting men to listen to her, but she worked around it. The best advice Plank received from mentor Tom Walsh, president of Walsh & Kelly, who gave her fledgling company its first jobs, was “Just don't give up.”
“That's how I've worked the last 25 years,” she says. “I've never given up.”
Peggy Moore
Vice President
Dage-MTI, Michigan City
In 1982 when Peggy Moore joined Dage-MTI in sales and marketing, she found the business, which produces specialty cameras mainly for the biomedical research and scientific markets, exciting. “I learned something new every day,” she says.
Unfortunately the historic company didn't keep up with the times and declined.
On April 1, 2003 (no joke!), the company was on the verge of closing its doors, when Moore and her husband (a previous Dage-MTI employee), purchased it.
“The products were outstanding and the people were incredible,” Moore says. “The technology would be lost without them. And we felt we could still have a thriving company.” It was rough going initially. They replaced the outdated DOS computer system, updated the manufacturing lines and invested in technology to produce a digital line of cameras and a new line of high-definition products.
Moore, who heads the company's daily operations and marketing efforts, worked hard to develop key strategic partnerships with vendors, bankers and customers and to keep the Dage-MTI name well-positioned in the marketplace.
“There was never a doubt in our minds that we were going to make this work,” Moore says, “but we found out later there were people out there who did–they were just nice enough not to tell us then.”
Today the company is on track to exceed a 50 percent growth projection for 2013, and anticipates future hiring. Its international markets have seen 40 percent growth.
Moore, who supplies the vision and the tactics to get them there, attributes the company's success to a team of dedicated employees, and an attitude of “anything is possible.”
“We're not afraid of change,” Moore says. “We don't let anything become a problem. It's been a lot of work. But it's also been a lot of fun and very rewarding. We are so excited about the direction we are taking right now.”
Micaela (Micki) Pawlowski
Vice President
Calumet Orthopedic & Prosthetics Co.
Hobart
After taking time off to be with her ill father, Micki Pawlowski was ready to reenter the workforce in 1992. Serendipitously, her husband, owner of Calumet Orthopedic & Prosthetics Co., needed assistance with re-credentialing and ADA requirements in his office and asked her to help “temporarily.”
“What I thought was going to be a temporary position turned out to be almost 20 years,” Pawlowski says.
Previously, Pawlowski served as administrative assistant to the COO at St. Mary Medical Center, so she was familiar with policies and procedures, the credentialing process and the contracting of insurance providers. She promptly computerized the filing system and created processes to ensure the business followed the policies and procedures necessary for credentialing. She also coordinated all the marketing efforts. During her first year, revenue jumped by more than 25 percent!
“I turned everything upside down implementing new things,” Pawlowski says. “My husband gave me the ball and said run with it, and I was able to deliver.”
One employee was so stressed by all the change she went to church to pray each day during lunch. Later she told Pawlowski, “I never thought I'd say this, but I don't know what we ever did without you.”
Although Pawlowski lobbied in Washington, D.C., for recognition of the credentialing of the orthotic and prosthetic profession for five years, she considers her local volunteer efforts to be her biggest contribution to the business.
“Giving back to the community is important, because it's what makes a business succeed,” Pawlowski says. She advises women entrepreneurs to keep moving forward one step at a time, never give up and continue to learn and grow.
“The more challenging something is, the more alive I become,” she says. “If you have the desire and the passion, and you can visualize it, you can make it a reality.”
Ashley Miller
President & COO
Indiana Furniture Showcase Inc.
Valparaiso
While working as a college intern and assisting with the change-out of the computer operating system at Indiana Furniture Showcase Inc., Miller got hooked on the business her father and his partner owned. Until then she had never entertained the idea of working there. “I got engrained in the business,” she says. “Everything just clicked.”
Miller, who has a business administration degree in entrepreneurship and finance, learned the ropes, started purchasing product and managing the advertising and marketing budgets. In 2009 the company hired Profitability Consulting Group to analyze and reorganize the business, and their suggestion was to make Miller COO, leading the company into new territory.
She had three strikes against her: She was 25 years old, a woman and the owner's daughter. Her biggest challenge was getting the employees–most of whom were male with 20+ years with the company–to buy into her ideas. About 40 percent of them left.
But that didn't stop her.
“The long-term employees who stayed on the bus have been the most amazing support and the best group of people I have ever dealt with,” she says. “I can't imagine being where I am without them.” Miller, a “numbers person,” considers establishing measurable goals to be her biggest contribution to the company.
“You've got to know where you're the best person to do something and where you need help,” Miller says. In 2012, she and her father became 50/50 owners–and she became president. The company saw a 7 percent increase from 2011 to 2012, and 2013 is shaping up to do even better.
Her advice to other women entrepreneurs: Surround yourself with good people, trust your instincts and have insane determination. And forget about not showing emotions.
“If you have a passion for what you're doing, you're going to get emotional about it,” Miller says. “You just have to be careful who you are with.”
Maria Slager
President & CEO
Office Interiors Inc.
Granger
Maria Slager recognizes a good opportunity when she sees it. Slager, who was the area's first woman in office furniture sales, is passionate about the business. She saw tremendous change and growth opportunities when she started in the contract office furniture industry in 1975. She started her company in 1982 with six employees. Managing the company's growth–it now has more than 34 employees–was her biggest challenge. To fuel that growth she has focused on innovation, meeting the changing needs of the office environment with leading-edge solutions.
Office Interiors Inc. became the first office furniture dealership in the area to offer total package of fee-based professional commercial interior design service, install, moving, repair and refurbishing services; the first to offer contract flooring; and the first to have an audio-visual division. This diversity helped the company innovate and also insulated it during times of economic downturn.
entrepreneurship.
Slager has effectively addressed the change-management issues of the office by aligning with such companies as Herman Miller, which has research staff analyzing these issues. Today, her company reflects multigenerational office teams and how the workplace environment has evolved, integrating technology and a wide variety of work styles from private office to flexible collaborative space.
“Small-business entrepreneurship is a passion and commitment. It begins with opportunity, and then you have to do what it takes to get the job done. Along the way you can gain a great deal of satisfaction and have a lot of fun. There are the highs, the challenges and the lessons learned,” Slager says.
Slager has had great employees, a supportive husband and family, a network of business people who weren't afraid to speak frankly and the help of community resources. “They've made my journey, and I am very blessed,” Slager says. “My journey now is to give back and help others along the way wherever I can.”
