A Woman’s Touch

Across the region, thousands of businesses have a woman at the helm.
by Rick A. Richards

Surviving in business is tough no matter who you are. Toss in a sluggish economy, political uncertainty and a legislative landscape that could include higher taxes and it's a wonder anyone would want to take on the challenge.

Now, add to that the glass ceiling and it's easy to see why many women can find it stifling in today's corporate world. But some have shattered their glass ceiling by taking on the challenge of going out on their own.

According to the Small Business Administration, there are more than 2,000 women-owned businesses in Northwest Indiana. Their companies range in size from 500 employees to just one or two and have revenue of more than $30 million to just a few thousand dollars.

And many of those are doing so in what would be considered a non-traditional field – trucking, construction, and in the case of Diana Corley, hardware.

Kabelin Ace Hardware
Corley is president of Kabelin Ace Hardware in LaPorte and has been in the family business since she was in the sixth grade. There was really little doubt she would someday be in the business, because it was something her father encouraged. Besides, she said, there were three daughters in the family and no sons, so what else was her father going to do?

When Corley graduated from Indiana University in 1983, it was the worst job market for college graduates until the current economy. “My dad made me an offer and I came back,” says Corley.

“I was ready to come back and make that commitment. I majored in business and my dad encouraged me in high school as a sophomore to take accounting. I really liked that side of the business, crunching numbers.”

It paid off. When Corley came back to LaPorte, the company was expanding. At the time, it had stores in Michigan City and LaPorte. Today, Kabelin has seven hardware stores – two in LaPorte, in Michigan City, South Bend, Plymouth, Walkerton and Granger. The company also has a Commercial Supply division in LaPorte, and owns Roxy Music, a musical instrument retailer in LaPorte.

Corley says the company has more than $16 million in revenue and 220 employees.

“We arenÕt a typical hardware store,” says Corley. “We have housewares, gifts, toys, and there are a variety of divisions with crafts and other things.”

Corley remembers her father never being concerned about whether a job should be held by a man or a woman. “He was a believer that if somebody could do the work, they should get the job.”

Instead, the biggest hurdle for Corley was acceptance by customers. “Many times in the 1980s I had customers tell me they wanted to talk to a man. One experience I remember vividly was talking to someone about a lawnmower,” says Corley. “I told them about the mower, but they said they wanted to talk to a man instead. At that time Sol Berkowitz ran our lawn and garden department in Michigan City. I grabbed him and told him what was going on and he was great. He walked over and told the customer, ‘You know, she knows more than I do about these mowers.' What can I help you with?”

But even though Corley grew up in the business, she didn't get a free pass. She had to prove she knew the business. She had to continually educate herself on the products the store sold and on how to deal with customers, employees and run the business.

What she learned then she's eager to pass on to younger women entrepreneurs. “You have to have good support and build a team. Don't try to do it all yourself,” says Corley.

“You're working late at night, you're working on weekends. That's what owning a business is all about. It's a 24-hour business.”

Today, family members hold various positions in the company from vice president to store manager. It has created a dynamic mix that allows the family to remain close and feel a part of a growing company. “Being a family business is challenging but it's fun. I love doing what I do and working with my family. It adds a dimension of love and trust. You're going to have your fights, but you know people have your back.”

This year marks Kabelin's 100th anniversary, a milestone of which Corley is especially proud. “Reaching this milestone means there is opportunity for the next generation.”

Michiana Brick & Building Supply
Jayne Flanagan is a nurse, but she's also the owner of Michiana Brick & Building Supply in South Bend. The company supplies a variety of custom bricks, pavers, custom stone and retaining wall supplies to contractors.

“I was looking to start a business and my dad said he could use some help at the brick yard,” says Flanagan. That was in 2005 when she moved back to Indiana after 25 years in Florida. She began spending more and more time there and in February 2011, she bought the business from her dad, Gregg Gluchowski.

Jayne spends nearly all her time at the brick yard, although she gets some occasional help from her brother, Duke Gluchowski, when he's not busy with the Clay Township Fire Department.

Flanagan is busy getting the company certified as a woman-owned business enterprise through the Small Business Administration.

“At first when I started, a lot of the contractors blew me off. But I have thick skin and I learned to talk less and listen more. I started building relationships. I changed my attitude and I began proving myself.”

For the 49-year-old Flanagan, the hard work is paying off. Contractors are now working with her and she regularly quotes prices for projects.

“I learned I had to appreciate their knowledge base. Sales are up 200 percent from last year.” She says that while her dad still drops by the business, it's not as frequent as it used to be. “I think he trusts me more,” says Flanagan.

But the growth hasn't been easy. The tough economy forced Flanagan to make some difficult decisions. She laid people off and she cut back on expenses. Today, the business has four employees and Flanagan is confident about the future.

“I am under a microscope because I'm a woman. People test me so I have to make sure I know what I'm talking about. But it's clear to me now that contractors respect me.”

Indiana Micro Metal Etching
Leeanne Brekke, owner and president of Indiana Micro Metal Etching in Elkhart, did what a lot of people did when the economy went south – she and her husband, Dan, bought their own business.

He was involved in real estate, but when the market bottomed out, they began looking for something different. Leeanne had a jewelry business and thought the metal etching business would be a good fit.

It was. While she only spends a few days a month at the company to take care of the books, she still keeps close tabs on the company's operation.

“Six or seven years ago, I was a stay-at-home mom,” says Brekke, who marvels at her transformation.

Indiana Micro Metal Etching is a specialized business that uses brass, copper, and stainless steel sheets of film in which a series of metal parts are etched using a variety acid baths. “The depth varies on each etching. It's very thin material,” says Brekke. 40. “Never in a million years did I think I'd be doing something like this.”

The small parts are used in computers, but Brekke also uses them in her jewelry business and they're used on scale model trains. For the future, Brekke hopes to adapt the business to handle the demands of nanotechnology.

One thing the company did to illustrate its ability to etch metal is make business cards out of brass. That led to a special job from the 9/11 memorial in New York. Brekke's company was asked to make a metal book listing all of the names of the victims of the terror attack on Sept. 11, 2011.

It was a tedious project, but the 18-page brass book is now on display in New York.
While working with her husband is a benefit, Brekke says it also can be a curse. “When we're making big decisions, sometimes we've kind of butted heads.” In the end, they've reached a consensus and the company is moving ahead.

Life Strategies
When Patricia Hoogestraat reached what she says was a crossroad in her life, she acted on her belief she could create a company that was “beneficial to employees while providing services to improve the lives of children, families and individuals.”

That led to creation of Life Strategies, a Chesterton company that provides counseling services.

“I always wanted to be in mental health and psychology,” says Hoogestraat, a South Dakota native who received her degrees from the University of Sioux Falls and Purdue University Calumet.

Hoogestraat, 33, admits a big influence on her career was her parents' divorce when she was in high school. “I wanted to learn how to help other families. I'm interested in why people do what they do.”

In addition to her office in Chesterton, Hoogestraat also has an office in Schererville and one in Wausau, Wis., which is where her husband lives. She splits her time between Indiana and Wisconsin.

Her business partner, Autumn Vendramin, plays a big role in the company, overseeing much of the operation in Indiana while Hoogstraat is in Wisconsin. The year-old company has 11 employees.

“We value a team approach and believe that we can provide better services to families by combining the unique talents of our team,” says Hoogestraat. “By starting our own business, we gained creative control and freedom to develop the programming and systems that we were restricted from creating in our previous job.”

Hoogestraat says she loves going to work every day. “For us, it's the freedom of being able to adapt. It's hard work. We ask a lot of questions and we can never assume that we know it all. To have your own business, you also need a lot of humility.”

Via Marketing
When Julie Olthoff opened Via Marketing in Merrillville in 1986, it was a huge risk. Not a lot of women were taking the business plunge then, but she and a co-worked at another advertising agency decided they needed to go out on their own. She has since bought out her partner.

“Another lady and I went out for coffee to talk. We were afraid but ready for the challenge. We needed a $50,000 loan to get started with typesetting equipment, but the bank wouldn't give us the money unless our husbands co-signed the loan.”

Now 25 years later, Olthoff says she had no idea she would be where she is today running an award-winning advertising, marketing and public relations agency with 15 employees.

“This is a dream that I never thought about as a little girl,” says Olthoff, whose real background is art. In fact, away from the business, she still enjoys the challenges of pottery and ceramics.

She's willing to impart what she has learned over the years to other young women entrepreneurs. “If you think you're going into business to get rich, that you won't have to work and you'll achieve fame, you need to check your motivation,” says Olthoff. “None of that is true.”

As a business owner, Olthoff says it's not uncommon for her to still be answering the phone at 6 p.m. or later each night, long after employees have gone home. “Owning your own business isn't what a lot of people think.”

While Via Marketing has been a success, Olthoff says it hasn't come without a few bumps in the road. “Have I been shut out because I'm a woman? I lost a client to an agency owned by a man because he was able to talk to the client on the golf course and in the locker room. Sure, I was shut out because I couldn't do that, but you just go on.”

Via Marketing is a certified woman-owned business enterprise, and Olthoff says she works hard to make sure her business reflects her clientele. She believes in pay equity and she thinks her biggest asset is her employees. “They have great ideas and provide good practical solutions in marketing. Today, this business has many more channels to choose from. You have to provide good advice to help clients make it through all the various media out there. It's more complicated than ever.”

Even though she's been in the business for more than a quarter of a century, Olthoff says she's still learning, and that's something she says all successful business owners should do.