Women in Business, Jobs, Women Entrepreneurs, Women in the News: News On Women

New Center for Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Women at University of Denver to be Led by Jeanne Callahan

The Women’s College (TWC) of the University of Denver appointed Jeanne Callahan Director of its new Center for the Advancement of Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Women (press release). Jeanne, who holds an  MBA from Columbia University, is an Entrepreneur who owns several businesses in Denver. Read more about The Women's College.

Nikki Finke Wonders about Wonder Woman!

Nikki Finke, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Deadline Hollywood,  is wondering about why and how they are updating "Wonder Woman". Gone is the red, white and blue, and all the stars, replaced by what looks like a spiderey top and leather pants. You have to see this to believe it!! Read Nikki's article. I don't relate to this new Wonder Woman - where are the cheerios and the briefcase? I think it's sad because we definitely deserve our own superhero!

Felicia Aronov Made Group Vice President at Bestofmedia Group

Bestofmedia Group, an online technology publisher, appointed Felicia Aronov Group Vice President, Sales, USA. Felicia had been Vice President of Sales at Managing Automation Media, a division of Thomas Publishing LLC. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Jean Rankin Named to InterDigital Board. Other Women appointed to Boards of Directors

InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC), headquartered in Pennsylvania, appointed Jean F. Rankin (pictured) to its Board of Directors. Jean is Executive Vice President and General Counsel at LSI Corporation. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

CSX Corporation, headquartered in Florida, appointed Pamela L. Carter to its Board of Directors. Pamela is President – Cummins Distribution Business. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Atlantic Power Corporation, headquartered in Massachusetts, appointed Holli Nichols to its Board of Directors. Holli has over 10 years of industry experience at Dynegy. Read more in the Market Wire press release.

Orion Energy Systems, Inc., headquartered in Wisconsin, appointed  Elizabeth Rich to its Board of Directors. Elizabeth is a Principal of the law firm Elizabeth Gamsky Rich & Associates SC. Read more in the GlobeNewswire press release.

Lori Ringhand Studies Questioning of Supreme Court Nominees in Past Confirmation Hearings

What kind of questions can Elena Kagan, Supreme Court Nominee, expect today at her confirmation hearings? A recent study by Professors Lori Ringhand (pictured) and Paul Collins found that women and minority nominees to the Supreme Court face a different confirmation environment than do other nominees. The study, which looked at questions faced by nominees appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee since 1939, found that women and minority nominees face more substantive questioning overall (there is less “chatter” in their hearings and more discussion of issues) and that they are questioned in great detail about their judicial philosophies. The finding that women and minority nominees face more substantive discussion overall is particularly striking given that a nominee’s personal background – frequently discussed in celebratory terms in the hearings of minority and female nominees - are counted in the study as non-substantive “chatter”.

Professor Ringhand is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Georgia College of Law. Read more of the study,"May it Please the Senate: An Empirical Analysis of the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings of Supreme Court Nominees 1939-2009".  

Senate Confirmation Hearing Begins on Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan

The Senate Confirmation Hearing on Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court began yesterday. Read excerpts from Elena's opening remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the White House press release.

Ramona Emilia Romero to be General Counsel, Department of Agriculture

President Obama intends to nominate Ramona Emilia Romero to be General Counsel, Department of Agriculture. Ramona, who holds a JD from Harvard Law School, is currently Corporate Counsel at E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont). See White House press release 6/25. 

Ann Kasper Made Divisional Vice President at Shopko

Shopko appointed Ann Kasper Divisional Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager for women's apparel. Anne had been Vice President of Merchandising Catalog/Web at Coldwater Creek. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Cindy Padnos Sheds New Light on Women in High Tech

Cindy Padnos is the founding Managing Director of Illuminate Ventures, which works with Internet, SaaS/cloud computing, digital media, technology-enabled services and mobile communications investments. Illuminate has done a white paper on Women in High Tech which has concluded gender diversity is good not only for profitability but for innovation! It also found that companies co-founded by women are cost-efficient, more likely to survive,  and have successful exits. Listen to Cindy talk about the results of their study.

Cristie Kerr #1 in Women's Golf in Rolex Rankings This Week

Cristie Kerr took the #1 spot on the Rolex Rankings this week, becoming  the first player from the United States to be number one on the women's world rankings. Cristie won the LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club in New York by twelve strokes. Read more on cnn.com.

Microsoft's Carol Thompson Eidt and Women in Technology

The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology interviewed Carol Thompson Eidt, an architect on the Common Language Runtime (CLR) at Microsoft working on code generation and standards. Before Microsoft, Carol worked at  HP where she was the Chief Architect for Management of the Adaptive Enterprise in the Software Global Business Unit. In the interview, Carol talks about women in technology and what leads to success. Read the article on anitaborg.org.

Allison Garcia Made Senior Vice President at Mindspeed Technologies

Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MSPD) appointed Allison K. Garcia Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Allsion has held psoitions at companies  including Lantronix, Inc, Quicksilver, Inc., Cendant Corporation and The Boeing Company. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Jill Schubert, Chris Martin, Nancy Koeper, Judy Henry and Rosemary Turner to Manage Districts for UPS

UPS appointed Jill Schubert President of its Northern Plains District, directing small package operations in five states. Jill had been Manager of UPS’s Minnesota District. Read more in the Business Wire press release. Chris Martin, a 33-year UPS veteran, was made President of the company’s North California District. See press release. Nancy Koeper, a 24-year UPS veteran, was appointed President of the company’s Northwest District (press release.). Judy Henry, a 28-year UPS veteran, was made President of the company’s Central Plains District (press release). Rosemary Turner, a 31-year UPS veteran, was appointed President of the company’s Chesapeake District (press release).

Margit Wennmachers Made a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz hired Margit Wennmachers as a Partner of the venture capital firm. Margit is the co-founder of the public relations firm, OutCast Communications. Read more in Kara Swisher's article on allthingsd.com.

A List of Jobs at Starbucks

Starbucks is the coffeehouse company of preference for many. There are Starbucks stores all over, and they offer a variety of drinks and food to go with it. Look at what jobs are available at Starbucks.

SpringBoard Hosts "AllThings Media 2010" Venture Captial Forum

Springboard Enterprises, the organization that educates, showcases, and supports women entrepreneurs as they seek capital and build their businesses, is hosting the AllThingsMedia: 2010 Venture Capital Forum in October, 2010. The Forum will showcase investment-ready, high-growth media companies led by women. There are many ways to participate so read more about it on the Springboardenterprises.org.

Patricia Granum Believes Clarity is Critical in Running Your Business

Patricia Granum is the President and CEO of Co-Operations, Inc.  Along with her husband and two friends, Pat founded Co-Operations in 1993.  Co-Operations provides third-party logistics and full-service outsourcing services to a large array of local and national accounts.  The company warehouses, assembles products, builds web stores, provides call center services for its customers and on a daily basis ships literature and products for their customers to end-users around the globe. Pat tells us how she got into the business:

What inspired you to start your business?

My situation is rather unique. I did not have the entrepreneurial bug or anything remotely close. However; I was an investor is a small business that was having significant financial problems. As I watched this company spiral out of control; I realized that personal guarantees existed  on leases which would obligate my husband and I long after the company was dissolved. It was no longer possible to be a spectator but rather one of us had to commit to run the company. That honor was mine which I reluctantly accepted in November, 1999 - with the understanding I would run the company for three years - period. Those three years are long past. Since then we have built our own building and are committed to enjoying the many years of positive growth and enjoyment this company can provide.

What steps do you think are necessary for an entrepreneur who wants to move her business to the next level?

I think it is critical to understand why you want to move it to the next level. Possible reasons include: driving more revenue; looking more favorable to investors; taking your product line in a different direction; opening up more locations, attracting a different type of client, etc. All are valid reasons of taking it to the next level; however the manner in which you implement change to drive these results can be significantly different. As an example; acquisition of another company could be a perfect way to expand your geographic presence. Restructuring your pricing model could be a great way to drive revenue, etc. It is critical to have clarity of what a company is trying to achieve before a company should talk about taking a company to the next level. Once that is done; then it is all about the people you hire. They will be able to execute on the vision.

Since starting your business, what changes have you seen in your industry?

My company is in the 3PL business which involves managing other people's inventory and shipping products globally based on orders we receive from the customers. We are also located on the West coast. We have many more customers today that are bringing in product from Asia and leaving it on the west coast where it gets broken down and shipped to client warehouses as they need it. Clients are aware of the high cost of shipping and they would rather minimize those costs by touching it a little as possible. Many more companies are carrying less inventory and as a result have gotten rid of their warehouses. Many of our customers are ordering from the China factories only what is presold. Using an outsourced solution like my industry allows clients to incur the warehousing costs as they need the services; rather than year around. As well; customers want to have as few employees as possible; so we have begun to complement their needs with call center support; accounting (issues invoices); and other very specific business services. All this is certainly more than just shipping boxes.
If applicable, what is it like to run a woman-owned business in a predominately male industry? Challenges? Advice?

Well you don't find a more male dominate industry than warehousing and logistics.  I frankly don't think about the challenges. My advice to anyone is to really know the space/industry you are in. If you are able to garner respect because others know you know what you are talking about and you deal fairly and ethically with others; this should serve you well. Remember we all have choices as to who we want to do business with. We have fired clients and once done; we never look back.
What techniques do you use to keep employees motivated?

Frankly it has been tough to stay motivated in this economic climate but communication is key. We share financial information and other key information with our employees. By seeing where we have been and where we are going; this helps to put the big picture into perspective.  We are very open with our employees. Building trust with employees is critical toward everyone working to the same goal.
What were your main sources of startup capital?

Our own personal assets and borrowing against assets that were in the company.

 Co-Operations Inc is a Member of the Women Presidents' Organization. The WPO is the global peer advisory organization connecting top women entrepreneurs who own multi-million dollar companies.

Betsey Stevenson Finds Title IX Starts to Even the Playing Field

With the 38th anniversary of Title IX, we are reminded of the efforts that have gone into creating an even playing field for girls and boys in sports. Was it worth it? Betsey Stevenson (pictured), Assistant Professor of Business and Public Policy at UPenn's Wharton School of Business, has done a study that shows the answer to be yes. According to her results, playing sports in high school leads to more education, better jobs and higher wages. Read about Betsey's research on KnowledegatWharton.

Maryanne Lavan Made General Counsel at Lockheed Martin

 Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) appointed Maryanne R. Lavan Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Maryanne is currently Lockheed Martin's Vice President of Internal Audit. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Allison Watson Takes on New Responsibilities at Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation appointed Allison Watson Corporate Vice President of the Business & Marketing Organization in the U.S. Allison had been Corporate Vice President of the Microsoft Partner Group. Read more about it in the prnewswire press release.